Alexander Nylander – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – A look at the playoff race – Teams with favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:07:22 +0000

Last week I touched on Detroit’s losing streak, but the Red Wings’ situation has since stabilized. The Red Wings have won three of their past four games and earned a 6-3 victory in a key contest against the Islanders on Thursday. The Red Wings (36-28-6) now have a three-point edge over Washington (33-26-9) in the battle for the second wild-card spot, though Washington has two games in hand, so Detroit still has no margin for error.

At this stage, it looks like the fight for the final playoff seed in the East will come down to Detroit and Washington, but the Islanders (29-25-15), New Jersey (34-32-5), Buffalo (33-33-5) and even Pittsburgh (30-29-9) all have an outside chance of squeaking into the playoffs. Would it be shocking if, say, the Penguins earned a postseason berth? Absolutely, but it’s at least a mathematic possibility at the time of writing.

The final wild-card slot in the Western Conference is slightly more secure. Vegas (37-25-7) has a four-point edge over St. Louis (37-30-3) and a five-point lead over Minnesota (34-28-8) despite playing in one game less than either team. The Golden Knights likely still need to be solid down the stretch to secure their playoff berth, but at least they have a bit of breathing room.

The Blues and Wild are Vegas’ only real competition, but there is still an outside chance of a Cinderella story involving Calgary (33-30-5) or Seattle (28-28-12).

The Golden Knights still also have a path to earn the third seed in the Pacific Division over Los Angeles (36-22-11), though I’d almost say it doesn’t matter. Getting the third seed would put the Golden Knights on track to face Edmonton in the first round instead of Winnipeg, Colorado, Dallas or Vancouver. All five of those potential adversaries are great, so Vegas will have a tough first round either as a wild-card team or as the third seed in the Pacific Division.

Either way, the battle for the last playoff spots should be fun.

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 24: Anaheim Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal (1) in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the Anaheim Ducks on January 24, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

Anaheim Ducks - TUE @ SEA, THU @ SEA, SAT @ EDM, SUN @ VAN (BTB)

Anaheim is set to play on the road all of next week. They have back-to-back contests against Seattle on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by games in Edmonton on Saturday and Vancouver on Sunday. It’s certainly not an easy schedule, especially on the back half, but the Ducks are one of the few teams scheduled to play four games, so they’re still worthy of mention.

Trevor Zegras hasn’t been in the lineup since Jan. 9 because of an ankle injury, but he has been able to resume practicing without restriction, which suggests that he’s close to returning. After exceeding the 60-point milestone in each of his previous two campaigns, he has just four goals and seven points in 20 outings this year. There’s a good chance he’ll at least be able to finish the year on a positive note, but regardless of what happens, it’s important you remember him for next season’s fantasy drafts. The 23-year-old forward should enjoy a comeback campaign, provided he gets better luck on the injury front.

The 2024-25 campaign should also be one of progress for Leo Carlsson, who has recorded nine goals and 24 points in 43 games as a rookie this season. In the meantime, though, he suffered a lower-body injury Thursday, so his status for next week’s contests is undetermined. If he can’t play then Isac Lundestrom might serve in a top-six capacity, but honestly rather than that be an opportunity for Lundestrom, it would just highlight the sorry state of the Ducks. The 24-year-old has just six points (four goals) in 34 contests this year and likely won’t do much offensively even if he moves up to the second line.

At least they have goaltender Lukas Dostal, who has done alright lately, posting a 2.69 GAA and a .916 save percentage over his past eight games. That’s worlds better than John Gibson’s 5.80 GAA (yes, really) and .833 save percentage in his past four outings. Given the disparity in their play, Dostal should get the majority of the remaining starts.

Buffalo Sabres – WED VS OTT, FRI VS NJD, SAT VS TOR (BTB)

The Sabres are likely to miss the playoffs for the 13th consecutive campaign, extending their record for the longest postseason drought in NHL history. However, they still have an outside shot of squeaking into the playoffs. In order to keep that hope alive, they’ll likely need to win all three of their contests against Ottawa on Wednesday, New Jersey on Friday and Toronto on Saturday. It’s a tall order, but at least the Sabres will have the home-ice advantage in all those games.

With Buffalo’s postseason hopes all but dashed, Jeff Skinner will likely have to wait even longer to make his first playoff appearance. The 31-year-old is approaching 1,000 career regular-season contests. This hasn’t been his best campaign, but Skinner has been alright with 24 goals and 45 points in 63 outings. He also earned his seventh career hat trick Monday when he led Buffalo in its 6-2 victory over Seattle.

Tage Thompson is surely hoping he won’t have to wait nearly as long as Skinner to get into the playoffs. However, if Thompson had played like he did in 2022-23 (47 goals, 94 points), perhaps the Sabres’ fortunes would have been different this campaign. Instead, he’s been alright, but not great with 21 goals and 43 points through 60 outings. The 27-year-old might end the season on a positive note, though. He’s on a four-game scoring streak in which Thompson has provided a goal and six points.

Meanwhile, Bowen Byram is just 22, but his name is already on the Cup thanks to his time with the Avalanche. Now a member of the Sabres, Byram is playing a prominent role and has taken advantage of that opportunity. He’s recorded three goals, six points, 17 blocks and 17 hits in eight contests while averaging 23:53 of ice time. Byram has even averaged a healthy 2:39 with the man advantage as a member of the Sabres, though the presence of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power means the fight for power-play ice time will always be fierce among Buffalo defensemen.

Columbus Blue Jackets – TUE @ ARI, THU @ PIT, SAT VS PIT

This will mark the Blue Jackets’ fourth straight season without a playoff berth. Nothing they do now will alter the fact that it’s been a rough campaign, but they can at least end things on a positive note. It helps that they’ll be facing other non-playoff teams next week – they’ll play in Arizona on Tuesday, in Pittsburgh on Thursday and then host the Penguins on Saturday.

Johnny Gaudreau isn’t the reason Columbus will be missing the playoffs, though it is true he hasn’t lived up to expectations. His 55 points (11 goals) through 69 outings, would mark the lowest point-per-game pace of his career if the season ended now. However, Gaudreau has contributed a goal and six points in his past four contests, so the stage is set for him to finish the campaign on a positive note.

The same might be true of Alexander Nylander, who has eight goals and 11 points in 13 contests since being acquired by Columbus from Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old forward was held off the scoresheet in his previous two games, and it’s reasonable for fantasy managers to wonder if this is the right time to jump ship, especially because he doesn’t have a track record of success beyond his recent stretch. Personally, I recommend waiting a little longer though to see if his production picks up again. Keep in mind, Nylander is being utilized on the Blue Jackets’ top line and first power-play unit, which are roles that he hasn’t enjoyed for any noteworthy stretch until now, so there might be more to his production than a mere hot streak. I’m not saying that his new role has transformed him into a superstar, but he might still do well enough to be fantasy relevant the rest of the way.

Daniil Tarasov might have value going forward too. The 24-year-old has been subpar in 2023-24 with a 7-9-3 record, 3.20 GAA and .903 save percentage across 20 appearances, but he’s been far better dating back to Feb. 21, posting a 2.30 GAA and .934 save percentage over nine games. His strong play has led to the Blue Jackets increasingly using him over Elvis Merzlikins.

Ottawa Senators – WED @ BUF, THU VS CHI, SAT @ WPG

Ottawa will begin next week with a breather before playing in Buffalo on Wednesday. The Senators will then host Chicago on Thursday and play in Winnipeg on Saturday. Like Ottawa, the Sabres and Blackhawks are having campaigns and aren’t expected to make the playoffs (Chicago has been mathematically eliminated while Buffalo has just a fringe chance of a wild-card spot), so those are two winnable games.

Ottawa is in a four-way tie for 28th defensively with 3.59 goals per game despite having an xGA/60 of 2.94, which ties the Senators for 11th overall. Those two stats in combination suggest is Ottawa’s defense is underrated and has been made to look bad this year due to poor goaltending. A case could be made that Joonas Korpisalo has been this year’s worst starter, ranking last in Goals Saved Above Expected at minus-19.4. In terms of his base stats line, he has a 15-21-4 record, 3.37 GAA and .887 save percentage in 44 contests. While it would be an oversimplification to say that Ottawa isn’t making the playoffs because of Korpisalo, it is fair to say that his terrible play has been a key factor.

Unfortunately, it seems the Senators overvalued his strong 2022-23 campaign when they inked Korpisalo to a five-year contract. While he had a Goals Saved Above Expected of 12.7 last season, he finished in the negatives in each campaign from 2017-18 through 2021-22, so performing below average relative to the team in front of him appears to be the norm for Korpisalo rather than the exception. This is all to say that if you’re looking for the 29-year-old goaltender to rebound in 2024-25, you’re making a risky bet that likely won’t pay off.

Not that Anton Forsberg, who has a 12-12-0 record, 3.42 GAA and .885 save percentage in 25 outings in 2023-24, is good either. Forsberg is signed through 2024-25 at a cap hit of $2.75 million, so Ottawa might have this unfortunate duo again next year. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see them making the playoffs in 2024-25 either.

That’s unfortunate for Claude Giroux, who is 36 years old and consequently running out of chances to make another run at the Cup. If the direction of the Senators has been weighing on him, though, he hasn’t let that bleed into his game. He’s still provided a goal and five points over his past six contests, giving him 19 goals and 58 points through 68 outings overall. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran finish the season on a high note. That should also be true of Brady Tkachuk, who has provided four goals and five points over his past four contests.

The goaltending clearly needs work, but with players like Giroux and Tkachuk leading the forward corps, at least that aspect of the Senators is strong.

Philadelphia Flyers – TUE @ NYR, THU @ MTL, SAT VS CHI

The Flyers are set to play on the road against the Rangers on Tuesday and the Canadiens on Thursday before hosting the Blackhawks on Saturday. While the Rangers are a tough adversary, Philadelphia has a golden chance to collect four points against Montreal and Chicago as it looks to secure its playoff spot.

The biggest story in Philadelphia is coach John Tortorella scratching Sean Couturier for the Flyers’ 4-3 win over Toronto on Tuesday and 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina on Thursday. This comes after a stretch in which Couturier registered just three assists and had a minus-13 rating over 14 games from Feb. 15-March 19. He also has only six points (one goal) in his last 23 contests, undoing his solid start to the campaign -- 30 points (10 markers) through his first 41 appearances.

Maybe this time off will allow him to reset and come back stronger. He’ll certainly be a player to watch closely next week because when Couturier’s at his best, he’s a strong top-line option.

In the meantime, Owen Tippett has been leading the Flyers’ attack. He has three goals and eight points over his past five games, bringing him up to 25 goals and 46 points through 66 outings this year. The 25-year-old is just two goals and three points shy of his career highs.

Morgan Frost is also on a five-game scoring streak, totaling three goals and seven points in that span. He hasn’t had an amazing campaign overall (12 goals and 38 points in 59 games), but the 24-year-old has been centering the top line and serving on the first power-play unit during Couturier’s absence. Given how well he’s done in that role, Frost might continue to feature prominently even after Couturier slides back into the lineup.

Pittsburgh Penguins – TUE VS CAR, THU VS CBJ, SAT @ CBJ

The Penguins have faded out of the playoff picture at this point and things aren’t going to get any easier when they host the Hurricanes on Tuesday. The silver lining is Pittsburgh does have a home-and-away series against the lowly Blue Jackets, which will take place Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Michael Bunting, who Pittsburgh acquired from Carolina in the Jake Guentzel trade, seems to be settling in with his new team. He’s on a three-game scoring streak and has recorded a point in four of his last five contests, totaling two goals and two assists in that span. He’s seeing time on the top power-play unit and alongside Evgeni Malkin at even strength, so Bunting seems set to have a solid finish to the campaign.

Bryan Rust is looking to finish on a high note too. He’s been limited to 48 games this season due to injury, but he has been effective when healthy with 21 goals and 41 points. The 31-year-old has done particularly well recently, providing three goals and five points across his last four contests.

Lastly, while it doesn’t have fantasy relevance, you might want to pay attention to Jeff Carter. The 39-year-old is dealing with an upper-body issue, but when he returns, he’ll likely be playing out the last games of his career. While it’s possible he’ll pursue a new contract once his present one expires this summer, he likely won’t find any takers. He’s been held to nine goals and 12 points in 61 outings this campaign. Still, Carter has had a storied career, scoring 440 goals in 1,310 career games and playing a significant role in Los Angeles’ Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014.

Seattle Kraken – TUE VS ANA, THU VS ANA, SAT VS DAL

Seattle will start the week with a pair of favorable home matchups against the lowly Ducks on Tuesday and Thursday. After that two-game series, the Kraken will host the Stars on Saturday.

Vince Dunn hasn’t played since March 4 due to an upper-body injury, and he doesn’t appear to be close to returning. He’s been a key offensive defenseman for the Kraken this campaign, providing 11 goals and 45 points in 57 games. Due to Dunn’s absence, Brian Dumoulin has seen an uptick in even-strength minutes, while Ryker Evans was summoned from AHL Coachella Valley and has received a power-play role.

Evans has done decently during Dunn’s absence, recording three assists -- all with the man advantage -- in the last seven games. He’s also played with a physical edge, accumulating eight PIM and 16 hits in the same span. Once Dunn returns, Evans might lose his spot in the lineup, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to make those kinds of contributions until Dunn’s back.

Seattle’s forward corps hasn’t done great this campaign and Seattle’s attack has been particularly lackluster recently, totaling just five goals in four games from March 14-21. Still, Oliver Bjorkstrand has been a rare bright spot with a goal and three points during that stretch. He also has five goals and eight points over his last 11 contests to put his cold spell from Jan. 30-Feb. 24 (one assist in eight outings) well behind him.

As poor as the Kraken’s offense has been, Anaheim has done even worse, ranking 30th offensively with just 2.49 goals per game. It wouldn’t be surprising to see goaltenders Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord split the two-game set against the Ducks, and both netminders would be a good play versus Anaheim.

Vegas Golden Knights – MON @ STL, TUE @ NAS, (BTB), THU @ WPG, SAT @ MIN

The Golden Knights are one of the few teams set to play four games next week, though they’ll be on the road for that stretch. They’ll play in St. Louis on Monday, Nashville on Tuesday, Winnipeg on Thursday and Minnesota on Saturday. It’s not the easiest schedule, but the Golden Knights’ hold on the second wild-card spot is loose, so they’ll need to find a way to win a good chunk of those contests.

Their pursuit of a playoff berth has been complicated by Adin Hill, who has struggled mightily with a 3.90 GAA and an .872 save percentage over his last seven games. By contrast, Logan Thompson has saved 41 of 43 shots (.953 save percentage) over his last two contests, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vegas pivot to Thompson, at least in the short term. Earlier in the campaign, the Golden Knights might have been more open to riding out Hill’s cold spell in the hopes that he’d rebound, but they don’t really have that luxury at this stage.

In terms of offense, it’s been defenseman Shea Theodore who has led the charge. The 28-year-old has collected 15 assists in 14 outings since returning from an upper-body injury. That’s propelled him to four goals and 33 points across 34 outings in 2023-24. Theodore has missed significant portions of the last two campaigns due to injury, but he would likely breach the 50-point milestone for the second time in his career if he manages to stay healthy next season.

Meanwhile, blueliner Noah Hanifin seems to be settling in fine with Vegas. He has four assists, a plus-3 rating, 10 blocks and 10 hits in seven contests since being acquired from the Flames. Hanifin’s also averaging 22:09 of ice time with Vegas, though he’s only on the second power-play unit, which limits his offensive potential a bit.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD (March 11th to 17th) – Post-NHL Trade Deadline Impact – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 18:06:59 +0000

_{OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 14: Ottawa Senators Right Wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) after a whistle during second period National Hockey League action between the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators on October 14, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)}

The trade deadline is behind us and it certainly was eventful. Although we didn’t get a lot of trades in the leadup to the final week -- just four deals in all of February -- general managers made up for lost time with six trades on Wednesday, 10 on Thursday and 23 on the final day.

This isn’t a winners and losers column, but if it was, Vegas would naturally be at the top of the winners list. The rest of the league might be annoyed at the Golden Knights’ seemingly unending ability to make blockbusters, but as a fan of one of the other 31 franchises, I suspect a lot of that is just because we collectively wish that our general manager had a bit more of Kelly McCrimmon’s boldness and the ownership for the teams we rooted for were a bit more willing to green-light whatever it takes to win.

Vegas added forwards Anthony Mantha and Tomas Hertl as well as Noah Hanifin on Friday. Clearly, the Golden Knights are gearing up for a defence of their Stanley Cup championships -- despite some lacklustre play of late -- but these aren’t exclusively win-now moves. Hertl is signed through 2029-30 and with the Sharks retaining part of his contract, he comes at a reasonable $6.75 million annually for the Golden Knights over that span. Mantha and Hanifin are on expiring contracts, but it is possible Vegas will be able to retain Hanifin’s services long-term.

Carolina also had a pretty interesting trade season with the additions of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel. Kuznetsov, who has just six goals and 17 points through 43 games this season, is definitely a risk, but it will be interesting to see if a fresh start does him any good. If nothing else, the addition of Guentzel should bolster what was already a pretty solid offense.

Florida also upgraded its forward corps by adding Vladimir Tarasenko. After falling just short of the Cup last year, I’d at the very least say that the Panthers are the team to beat in the East. The only reason why I hesitate to call the Panthers the outright Cup favourites is that I love Vancouver and Colorado in the west.

The Avalanche in particular are looking strong after grabbing Casey Mittelstadt, albeit at the high price of Bowen Byram. Colorado’s offense is the best in the league at 3.70 goals per game, but the Avalanche have been extremely reliant on Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar to drive that scoring. If you were to have judged the Avalanche from their second line down, then you would have found a team that was wanting. Adding Mittelstadt does a lot to address that shortcoming, though Alexandar Georgiev’s less-than-stellar play is still a concern. The Avalanche might wish they had acquired a veteran backup come playoff time.

Of course, that’s all just scratching the surface of how the trade deadline has changed things. Let’s do a deeper dive while highlighting some of the best teams to utilize this coming week.

Anaheim Ducks - TUE @ CHI, THU @ MIN, FRI @ WPG (BTB), SUN @ STL

The Ducks don’t have much left to play for, but at least their upcoming schedule isn’t too bad. They’ll be on the road next week, playing in Chicago on Tuesday, Minnesota on Thursday, Winnipeg on Friday and St. Louis on Sunday. The Jets are the only of those adversaries in a playoff position.

Anaheim dealt away forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to Edmonton on Wednesday and acquired Ben Meyers from the Avalanche on Friday.

Meyers was in the minors before the trade, but he’s likely to remain with the Ducks for the remainder of the campaign. Don’t expect too much from him, though. He had six goals in 53 career contests over parts of three seasons with Colorado and is likely to serve primarily on the third line in Anaheim.

The loss of Henrique will be felt, though. He had 18 goals and 42 points in 60 contests with the Ducks this season, which was good for third in the team’s scoring race at the time of his trade. His departure might increase how much Mason McTavish is leaned on. We’ve also started to see a significant spike in Max Jones’ playing time recently -- logging over 15 minutes in each of his past three contests compared to his average of 11:43 over his first 44 outings -- and that’s likely to persist for the remainder of the season.

With the Ducks looking toward the future, Olen Zellweger is likely to stay in the NHL for the rest of the season. Although he has just two assists through his first eight contests with Anaheim, the 20-year-old defenseman has offensive upside and is getting power-play ice time, so he’d be an interesting pickup for the upcoming week given the competition.

Columbus Blue Jackets - TUE @ MTL, THU VS OTT, SAT VS SJS, SUN VS WPG (BTB)

Like Anaheim, Columbus doesn’t have any hope of making the playoffs, but next week’s schedule is still a favourable one for the Blue Jackets. They’ll play in Montreal on Tuesday before hosting the Senators on Thursday, the Sharks on Saturday and the Jets on Sunday. While Winnipeg is having a strong campaign, those other three teams are among the worst in the league.

Columbus was somewhat quiet at the deadline, but the Blue Jackets did part ways with Jack Roslovic and Andrew Peeke.

Their biggest move came earlier when they acquired Alexander Nylander from Pittsburgh on Feb. 22 in exchange for Emil Bemstrom. That wasn’t expected to be a noteworthy move, but Nylander has provided an incredible five goals and seven points in seven contests with the Blue Jackets. Nylander is likely to remain in a top-six role for the remainder of the season, so while he’s unlikely to maintain his point-per-game pace, the 26-year-old should continue to have fantasy relevance.

Roslovic was red hot too with four goals and 13 points in his last 12 games prior to the trade. He was serving primarily on the top line with Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau, but now that he’s gone, Kirill Marchenko might be put in that role. Marchenko has 17 goals and 32 points in 60 contests this season, and the 23-year-old might see his offensive pace increase if he does lockdown that first-line assignment.

One player who didn’t move is goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. There was some suggestion back in January that he would welcome a trade because he was unhappy with his workload. Maybe that issue will get resolved over the summer, but Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov are likely to share the netminding duties fairly evenly for what’s left of the season.

Detroit Red Wings - TUE @ BUF, THU VS ARI, SAT VS BUF, SUN @ PIT (BTB)

Detroit will continue its fight for a wild-card berth next week. The Red Wings will start by playing in Buffalo on Tuesday before returning home to face the Coyotes on Thursday and the Sabres on Saturday. They’ll complete the week with a game in Pittsburgh on Sunday. None of those opponents are in a playoff position, so it’s important that the Red Wings take advantage by picking up at least six points.

The Red Wings were quiet at the deadline, though to be fair, they made their major move back in November when they signed Patrick Kane. The 35-year-old has gone on to provide 13 goals and 31 points through 31 games, so they have to be happy with that addition.

They’ll need to lean on Kane even more in the short term because Dylan Larkin suffered a lower-body injury Monday that’s expected to cost him at least one more week. While Larkin’s unavailable, Joe Veleno might see his workload increase and consequently should have more short-term value in fantasy leagues.

This could also be a good week for David Perron, who is on a roll with a goal and four points over his past four games. He’s up to 13 goals and 32 points in 56 contests in 2023-24. Defenseman Olli Maatta has looked good recently too, supplying two goals and four points across his last four outings. Maatta typically isn’t a significant offensive contributor, though, so he would be at best a short-term pickup option.

Los Angeles Kings - MON VS NYI, WED @ STL, FRI @ CHI, SAT @ DAL (BTB)

The Kings hold a playoff position, but their postseason berth is far from secure. They’ll need to play next week while hosting the Islanders on Monday and then playing on the road against St. Louis, Chicago and Dallas on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, respectively.

LA didn’t add anyone at the deadline, so if the Kings are going to get into the playoffs, it’ll have to be with basically the same group they’ve had for the entire year. However, injuries have made their task even harder. Viktor Arvidsson (lower body) has played just four games in 2023-24 while Mikey Anderson (upper body) and Adrian Kempe (upper body) also might not be available next week.

At least Kevin Fiala has been doing his part. The 27-year-old forward has a superb seven goals and 13 points over his last nine games. With his marker Thursday, Fiala reached the 20-goal milestone for the fifth consecutive campaign, but he’s also exceeded 25 tallies just once in his career (2021-22). In other words, don’t count on him providing goals at his recent rate for much longer, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he still ended up having a strong finish to the season offensively.

Drew Doughty has looked good lately too, providing three goals and 12 points over his last 11 outings. Six of those points came with the man advantage, which is noteworthy because LA’s power play has been middling this season with a 22.6 percent success rate. However, the Kings have converted on 32.0 percent of their power plays over their past 11 games, and if they can keep that up, it will do wonders for Doughty’s fantasy value.

It wouldn’t mean much to Matt Roy -- he isn’t typically used with the man advantage -- but the 29-year-old blueliner has three even-strength assists across his past three games. That has brought Roy up to 20 points (three goals) through 61 contests -- this is his third straight campaign with at least 20 points.

Ottawa Senators - TUE VS PIT, THUS @ CBJ, SAT @ NYI, SUN VS CAR (BTB)

Ottawa has a relatively easy start to the week with a home contest against the Penguins and then a road match versus Columbus on Thursday. Things do pick up after that, though. The Senators will play on the road against the Islanders on Saturday in a contest that matters for the Islanders in their pursuit of a wild-card spot. Ottawa will conclude the week by hosting the Hurricanes on Sunday.

The Senators made just one trade in the leadup to the deadline, shipping Vladimir Tarasenko to Florida in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2025 third-round selection. That’s a minimal return for a top-six forward, but Tarasenko’s full no-trade clause tied the Senators’ hands.

Either way, Ottawa’s offense is looking a little thinner between the loss of Tarasenko and Josh Norris potentially missing the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. The top two lines going forward will be combinations of Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto, Drake Batherson, Mathieu Joseph, Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux. That will work fine, but the bottom six will be a collection of whatever Ottawa can cobble together.

For example, Boris Katchouk, who was claimed off waivers from Chicago on Friday, is likely to be a regular on the third unit going forward. The 25-year-old has five goals and nine points in 38 contests this season, so he’s not exactly expected to be a scoring threat in that role. Dominik Kubalik, who has averaged 12:30 of ice time this season while providing 10 goals and 14 points across 57 contests, might see his playing time increase too. Ridly Greig might round out that third unit despite recording just three goals and four points over his past 21 appearances.

For what it’s worth, Ottawa also has the option of calling up Angus Crookshank, who has 22 goals and 43 points in 47 contests with AHL Belleville this season. He was limited to a goal and an assist during a seven-game stint with Ottawa earlier in the campaign, but the 24-year-old averaged just 8:50 of ice time. He’d almost certainly get a bigger role if Ottawa promoted him now, so keep an eye out for that.

Pittsburgh Penguins - TUE @ OTT, THU VS SJS, SAT VS NYR, SUN VS DET (BTB)

Although the Penguins’ playoff hopes are all but gone, they still have an opportunity to at least make their final weeks of the campaign interesting. Pittsburgh will play in Ottawa on Tuesday before heading home to host the Sharks on Thursday, the Rangers on Saturday and the Red Wings on Sunday.

As already noted, the Penguins traded star forward Jake Guentzel on Thursday. Pittsburgh also shipped away defenseman Chad Ruhwedel, though the club did add Michael Bunting.

Bunting is an interesting option the rest of the way. He had 13 goals and 36 points in 60 games with Carolina before the trade, which is nothing special, but with Guentzel gone, Bunting might play alongside Sidney Crosby going forward. That’s an ideal assignment that should boost Bunting’s fantasy value.

John Ludvig is the other Pittsburgh player who was significantly impacted by the trade deadline. With Ruhwedel gone, there’s an opportunity for Ludvig, who was last in the lineup on Feb. 18, to play regularly for the remainder of the season. Ludvig isn’t much of an offensive threat with just a goal and an assist through 23 games, but he’s a physical force. The 23-year-old has 23 PIM and 51 hits in 2023-24, so he might have some value to certain fantasy managers now that he’s projected to remain in the lineup.

Beyond that, I’m really interested to see how Crosby performs for the remainder of the campaign. He’s been fantastic with 32 goals and 63 points in 61 outings but has supplied only one helper across his past five appearances. It’s probably just a slump that will end soon, but this is also a new position for the 36-year-old. Crosby is used to playing on a contender. Even last year when the Penguins failed to make the playoffs, they missed by just one point.

Personally, I expect Crosby to bounce back shortly and have a solid finish to the season, but we’ll have to wait and see if being out of contention impacts his motivation more than I suspect.

San Jose Sharks - TUE @ PHI, THUS @ PIT, SAT @ CBJ, SUN @ CHI (BTB)

The Sharks will play in Philadelphia on Tuesday, but that will be their only game next week against a team in a playoff position. After that, San Jose will continue its road trip with stops in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Columbus on Saturday and Chicago on Sunday.

San Jose traded away forwards Anthony Duclair and Tomas Hertl, defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen at the deadline. The Sharks did get Vitek Vanecek from New Jersey, but the goaltender might be done for the season due to a lower-body injury. Keep in mind, the Sharks were 15-40-7 even before those trades, so to say the squad is in a sad state now would be an understatement.

With Vanecek unavailable, Mackenzie Blackwood will likely be leaned on heavily for what’s left of the season…or at least he will be once he’s recovered from a groin injury. In the meantime, San Jose’s goaltending duo are Magnus Chrona and Devin Cooley. When Blackwood is healthy, Cooley might be sent to the minors. Regardless, none of them are good options in fantasy circles given the team in front of them.

Klim Kostin might have a little bit of value, though, to fantasy managers. The Sharks acquired him from the Red Wings on Friday. He was frequently a healthy scratch in Detroit and averaged just 8:43 when he did play, but in San Jose, Kostin might be a mainstay on the third line. That likely won’t lead to him getting much offense, but Kostin could be a good source of PIM and hits -- he has 38 and 60, respectively, through 33 appearances.

William Eklund might also be able to provide a bit of a silver lining. The 21-year-old hasn’t been as productive as hoped this campaign with 10 goals and 29 points through 60 contests, but he does have two goals and four points over his last four games, so perhaps he’ll end the season on a positive note. Certainly, the Sharks will give him plenty of opportunities at both even strength and on the power play.

Winnipeg Jets - MON VS WSH, WED VS NSH, FRI VS ANA, SUN @ CBJ

The Jets will start the week at home, hosting the Capitals on Monday, the Predators on Wednesday and the Ducks on Friday. They’ll conclude the week with a road game versus the lowly Blue Jackets on Sunday.

Winnipeg added Colin Miller and Tyler Toffoli in separate trades with New Jersey on Friday, which compliments the Jets’ addition of Sean Monahan on Feb. 2. The Jets have enjoyed an effective forward trio of Mark Scheifele (19 goals and 56 points in 56 contests), Kyle Connor (26 goals and 44 points in 46 outings) and Nikolaj Ehlers (19 goals and 44 points in 62 appearances), but the team’s scoring depth up front was lacking. With Monahan and Toffoli in the mix, Winnipeg can now roll two dangerous lines with ease.

This isn’t good news for everyone, though. Cole Perfetti has a respectable 14 goals and 31 points in 61 contests this season, but the 22-year-old has been cold for a while, providing just two assists over his last 21 games. With Winnipeg’s recent upgrades, Perfetti is projected to serve strictly in a bottom-six capacity without much, if any, power-play ice time. He might even be a healthy scratch in situations where everyone is healthy.

Vladislav Namestnikov has averaged 15:04 of ice time this season, but he might see work primarily on the third line going forward. He has been effective recently, though, with two goals and five points across his last five contests while seeing time with Connor and Scheifele, so perhaps the 31-year-old will be able to avoid that demotion in the short term.

Mason Appleton has done well lately too, collecting four assists over his last three contests, but the Jets’ additions will likely push him down in the depth charts too. Although he’s averaged 16:05 in 2023-24, he might play mostly in a bottom-six capacity going forward.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Logan Stankoven and Matt Rempe make their presence felt, Tyler Bertuzzi, Gustav Nyquist, and Scott Laughton pick up the pace and much, much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 15:00:26 +0000

_{SAINT PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 08: Dallas Stars Center Logan Stankoven (57) looks on during the NHL game between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, on October 8th, 2022, at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)}

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make decisions when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, rookies Logan Stankoven and Matt Rempe make their presence felt in different ways; Tyler Bertuzzi, Gustav Nyquist, and Scott Laughton pick up the pace and much, much more!

#1 The Dallas Stars have been patient this season, watching Logan Stankoven rip up the American Hockey League in his first pro season. The 2021 second-round pick had put up 57 points (24 G, 33 A) in 47 games for the Iowa Stars of the AHL before finally getting called up and he has not disappointed. In his first four games with the big club, Stankoven has scored three goals and added an assist, putting 12 shots on goal. He is on a line with Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn and it’s looking good. The real question is what the Stars are going to do when Tyler Seguin returns from injury because Stankoven has already shown that he belongs. Stankoven has been loaned to the Texas Stars again, but Dallas has to make room for a player of this quality.

#2 It has largely been a disappointing season for Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Tyler Bertuzzi but he is starting to turn the corner. With a goal in Thursday’s win over Arizona, he has six points (5 G, 1 A) during a four-game point streak. Skating on a line with Max Domi and William Nylander, Bertuzzi also has 15 shots on goal during that streak and the improved shot rate is an encouraging sign for his production being sustained over the rest of the season.

#3 The month of February has brought out the best in Nashville Predators right winger Gustav Nyquist. He picked up a couple of assists in Thursday’s 6-1 win against Minnesota, giving him 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in 10 February games, tops among Preds forwards. He has 51 points (16 G, 35 A) in 61 games and his 0.84 points per game is challenging his 2013-2014 season, when he also had 0.84 points per game but fractionally higher, for the best points per game of his career.

#4 Philadelphia Flyers centre Scott Laughton has started to pick up his offensive production. In the past eight games, he has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 17 shots on goal. He has added 18 hits in that time, enhancing his value for those in banger leagues. He is centering a line with Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster. After missing a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury, Foerster has returned with a vengeance, scoring five points (4 G, 1 A) in three games.

#5 New York Rangers winger Matt Rempe has had quite the impact since arriving in the NHL. The 21-year-old is 6-foot-8 and while he has contributed a couple of points (1 G, 1 A) in his first six NHL games, he has also racked up 32 penalty minutes. He is not going to be able to keep the pace of taking on all comers with fisticuffs, but he has added a level of excitement to the Blueshirts. Rempe is not playing enough to generate fantasy interest outside of banger leagues, but the penalty minutes will hold some appeal.

#6 Now, for a New York Rangers winger who has more reliable value, look to Alexis Lafreniere. In his past dozen games, Lafreniere has nine points (6 G, 3 A) with 38 shots on goal. He is up to 2.68 shots on goal per game this season, up by more than a shot per game over last season, and that is why the fourth-year winger is a more consistent scoring threat.

#7 While he was suspended for the first half of the season, the Ottawa Senators made sure that it was known that Shane Pinto was going to be a big part of their plans. He is rewarding them for that patient approach. In his past 11 games, Pinto has 11 points (4 G, 7 A) with 38 shots on goal. He is centering a line with Brady Tkachuk and Vladimir Tarasenko. Pinto’s ice time is up, his shot rate is up, and he is turning into a legitimate scoring threat.

#8 With Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel injured, Rickard Rakell has become a more important piece for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The veteran winger is skating with Reilly Smith and Sidney Crosby on the Penguins’ top line and has seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 20 shots on goal in his past seven games. He has also played more than 19 minutes in four of those seven contests.

#9 While there has been discussion about the Nashville Predators potentially moving centre Tommy Novak before the trade deadline because he is a pending unrestricted free agent, it would be a tough move to sell for a team that has been elevated into a playoff position on the strength of a seven-game winning streak. In his past dozen games, Novak has produced 11 points (4 G, 7 A) with 22 shots on goal and he has been efficient, scoring like this while playing just 14 minutes per game.

#10 There is a changing of the guard in Washington, where 23-year-old centre Connor McMichael is starting to take on a bigger role. In his past 10 games, McMichael has nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 21 shots on goal. He is skating between wingers Aliaksei Protas and Anthony Mantha on an effective line that has played more than 300 minutes together at five-on-five, controlling 57.5% of expected goals. Protas, the 6-foot-6 left winger, has seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 10 shots on goal in his past six games while Mantha, the 6-foot-5 right winger, has eight points (2 G, 6 A) with just four shots on goal in his past seven contests.

#11 Sometimes, it’s just a matter of where a player finds himself in the lineup. Chicago Blackhawks winger Nick Foligno is 36 years old and has been a depth winger in recent seasons but with the rebuilding Blackhawks, he is getting a much bigger opportunity. In his past 10 games, Foligno has nine points (5 G, 4 A) with 18 shots on goal while a slumping Anthony Beauvillier (zero points in six games since returning from injury) is getting a chance to skate alongside Connor Bedard at even strength, Foligno does still have a spot on Chicago’s top power-play unit.

#12 Claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Wild from the Winnipeg Jets, defenceman Declan Chisholm is making the most of his opportunity with a new team. Chisholm is playing more than 18 minutes per game for the Wild, including time on Minnesota’s second power-play unit, and has recorded four points (1 G, 3 A) in his first seven games with Minnesota. It would be the deepest of leagues for Chisholm to have fantasy appeal already, but it is worth keeping him on your radar, to see if this fresh start can continue to yield results.

#13 The goaltending situation for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been uneven, to say the least, but it should be better with Joseph Woll returning from injury. Woll started against Arizona Thursday, his first start since December 7, and he stopped 30 of 32 shots in a 4-2 victory. Woll has a .918 save percentage in 16 games this season and while that is a small sample, it makes him the best option between the pipes for the Maple Leafs, so long as he stays healthy.

#14 After a 33-save shutout against Pittsburgh on Thursday, Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer is forcing his way back into the Kraken crease. As great as Joey Daccord has played, posting a .919 save percentage in 39 games, Grubauer does have a .947 save percentage in five starts since returning from injury. With a longer track record, and bigger contract, Grubauer will likely get every opportunity to play, so that does affect the relative value of both Seattle goaltenders.

#15 It would seem like Lucy teasing Charlie Brown with the football to bubble up excitement around Alexander Nylander, the eighth pick in the 2016 Draft who has 36 points in 101 career games, but it’s at least worth keeping an eye on his development in Columbus. Acquired from Pittsburgh in exchange for Emil Bemstrom, Nylander had a goal and an assist in Thursday’s loss to Carolina, and played a career-high 19:40. He also has nine shots on goal across the past two games, so in this super small sample, he is offering some reason to keep him in mind. We will see how long it lasts.

#16 There has not been a lot to love about the San Jose Sharks this season but they do have some veterans that could be producing enough to hold interest in deeper leagues. Mikael Granlund picked up three assists in Thursday’s loss to Anaheim, giving him six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past six games. Granlund also played a season-high 25:28 against the Ducks. Anthony Duclair, who may be auditioning for a new home at the trade deadline, has five points (4 G, 1 A) and 16 shots on goal in his past five games and is skating on Granlund’s wing, at least for now.

#17 Cam Atkinson has dropped out of the Philadelphia Flyers lineup, as a healthy scratch. He has zero points and 18 shots on goal in his past 11 games and that isn’t cutting it for head coach John Tortorella. It is even more challenging for Atkinson when he is getting scratched even with leading scorer Travis Konecny injured and out of the lineup because that effectively puts Atkinson an extra step away from just getting into the lineup, let alone in a position where he might once again have fantasy value.

#18 Even though he is still skating on Seattle’s second line, left winger Jaden Schwartz is mired in a brutal slump. In his past 11 games, Schwartz had one goal, zero assists, and 22 shots on goal. The 31-year-old winger has had plenty of peaks and valleys in his career when it comes to scoring – he had 14 points (8 G, 6 A) in 15 games to start this season! – and it appears that he is deep in a valley right now.

#19 Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk had a cool moment with his father, Louie DeBrusk, before a recent game against the Edmonton Oilers. The elder DeBrusk brought out a ticket that his son had given to him many years ago, stating that he would record a goal or an assist, or do 30 pushups. That night, DeBrusk recorded both a goal and an assist, saving himself from the 30 pushup option. The unfortunate part for DeBrusk is that it is the only time in his past 14 games that he has managed to find the scoresheet. He is averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time per game over that span, which makes his slump all the more troubling. The one encouraging sign is that DeBrusk had 34 shots on goal in those 14 games, so he is getting chances, and that tends to lead to better results.

#20 Two goaltenders who have been pleasant surprises this season experienced a more challenging month of February. Connor Ingram had emerged as the starting goaltender in Arizona, posting a .919 save percentage in his first 30 games. Since January 25, though, Ingram has a 0-6-2 record with a .872 save percentage and he missed some time with an injury, too. In Washington, Charlie Lindgren had a .929 save percentage in mid-January, forcing his way into more playing time, but then his results flipped, too. In his past 11 starts, he has a 4-5-2 record with a .873 save percentage. Maybe this should have been expected from goaltenders with limited NHL track records, but this season has been difficult to find consistent and reliable goaltending from many angles, even from these two goalies who had been providing excess value for more than three months to start the season.

Chicago Blackhawks 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 10:50:04 +0000

Around one month into last season, the Chicago Blackhawks, meandering through a slow start, fired their coach, future Hall of Famer Joel Quenneville. He was replaced by Jeremy Colliton, who had been the head coach of the Blackhawks’ AHL club in nearby Rockford. The new youngest coach in the NHL had only been behind the bench at any level for five years, the first four of which were in Sweden, with Mora, which he helped guide from the Allsvenskan to the SHL before taking the Rockford job.

The hiring was curious for more reasons than just Colliton’s general lack of experience. For another thing, hiring coaches from the AHL has recently fallen out of vogue, at least directly, with many GMs preferring coaching retreads, or, if they want a new face, looking to the college ranks, as was done in Dallas and Broadway, following Philadelphia a few years ago. (Note that exceptions are sometimes made when the incumbent coach is fired or leaves at an awkward time – see Colorado and the hiring of Jared Bednar) Promoting assistants to the top job has also been popular, as we see with the most recent Stanley Cup winner in Craig Berube, or with Ottawa plucking DJ Smith from the backbench of Provincial rival Toronto.

In any case, Colliton’s promotion from Rockford does give us a chance to study how he incorporated some of his old charges from the farm into the NHL lineup. There were a few 2017-18 IceHogs who received significant time in the Chicago lineup in 2018-19. Looking at our top 20 from last year, big blueliner Carl Dahlstrom lost his eligibility after playing in 38 games. Luke Johnson also got into 15 games, retaining his prospect eligibility (which he will try to lose this year as a member of the Minnesota Wild). Netminder Collin Delia got 16 games in net when Corey Crawford was hurt, and put up numbers that were better than ostensible backup Cam Ward’s (although still not that great). Other players having played under Colliton for both teams include Gustav Forsling, Andreas Martinsen, John Hayden, Dennis Gilbert, and Alexandre Fortin.

Notably, none of the players listed above had outsized roles with Collliton’s Blackhawks’ squad as he was able to tell the difference in quality between good AHL players and NHL talent. The Blackhawks nonetheless finished around the same under Colliton as they were with Quenneville. Based on the list below, we also don’t expect the Rockford connection to play a greater role next year, as of the five players listed who primarily played in the AHL last year, three came to the organization from other teams in the offseason, meaning they had never played under Colliton. The two that are holdovers include Dylan Sikura, who actually only played for Colliton in Chicago, and Lucas Carlsson, who was still in Sweden, playing for Brynas, when Colliton was in Rockford.

Even with the overall record not changing much between the two coaches, and the new coach not utilizing much in the way of familiar faces in his new job, the Blackhawks did at least feel more energized under the younger coach. And with one of the deepest systems in the game, there is the hope that Colliton will be better equipped to utilize the young talent entering the system than his predecessor had been.

-Ryan Wagman

Adam Boqvist (27) of the Chicago Blackhawks (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire)

1 Kirby Dach, C (3^rd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Dach is a true game-breaker down the middle of the ice. Few centers bring the combination of size, speed and skill that he provides. He has the ability to make plays in open ice, beat guys one on one or make a pass that cut open defenses. He carries the puck through the neutral zone well and always plays with his head up. He can protect the puck as well as anyone down low and can make passes from anywhere on the ice. He is a very good shooter, too, but his game revolves around his passing ability and ability to hold onto the puck. His defensive game is intriguing as well as he uses his long reach to strip pucks and on the back check can quickly turn the play around with his physical dominance. He needs to improve his consistency over a full season, but he projects as a number one center but could play the wing as early as this season in the NHL. - VG

2 Adam Boqvist, D (8^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 1) An elite offensive defender, Boqvist has the requisite tools to be a high scorer in the NHL. His skating stride is not only smooth, it is powerful, and it allows him to take risks by jumping up into the rush quite frequently. He also possesses fantastic scoring instincts for a defender, sliding down into the slot or using his agility to open up shooting lanes for himself at the blueline. While his offensive game could best be described as dynamic, his defensive game can be summarized as “developing.” Boqvist is a high risk, high reward player who may never be a defensive stalwart but his reads and physical assertiveness will need to improve for him to be a reliable even strength player. He will either play with Chicago, or in the AHL this season. A year of minor pro would likely greatly help his defensive game and make him more equipped to handle the rigors of the NHL. - BO

3 Alex Nylander, LW (8^th overall, 2016 [Buffalo]. Last Year: 3 [Buffalo]) Nylander is a rather controversial and inconsistent player to watch. At his best, he is a gifted playmaker and passer with a great way of seeing the play and anticipating where to be on the ice, however he is rarely at his best. Instead he lacks physicality or any sort of aggressiveness in his game which sees him often times back down from being first to the puck and battles as he is weak on the puck. For a forward with size and a good shot, Nylander has to make sure to keep his feet moving at all times and be stronger so that he can get the opportunities he deserves. He has the skill to be a middle six forward but he will need to make major adjustments to his attitude and consistency in order to make the next level work. He will need to be more aggressive and his work ethic will have to be much better than in previous seasons. - SC

4 Aleksi Saarela, C (89^th overall, 2015 [New York Rangers]. Last Year: 3 [Carolina]) Saarela is a hard-working, dynamic player who wins battles and moves so efficiently that his energy stays high throughout the entirety of each game. He is a great shooter and his accuracy is impressive which makes him a tough opponent to stop. He is an all-around fun and creative player to watch and with his hockey sense and skill, he has the potential to be a top six forward and lead a team despite his size. He flies under the radar but will still need a year in the AHL to gain enough momentum and confidence to be the same type of player once he moves up to the NHL. That being said, should Saarela have another great year and work on being more accurate with his breakout and regroup passes, his transition to the next level will be much easier. He will also need to better his coverage at both ends of the ice. - SC

5 Ian Mitchell, D (57^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 4) Overshadowed in the AJHL in his draft year by Cale Makar, Mitchell is likewise a second fiddle defender in the Chicago pipeline behind Boqvist. That said, he has clearly been the top blueliner for Denver for two years running. He is a fine skater, with four directional ability, and his hands are just as quick. He can dangle and is a natural at walking the blueline and moving off of it to help his team create offense. As good as he is offensively, he is just as sharp in his own zone. He plays with a mature sense of calm and can be relied upon in the hairiest situations. Even with Boqvist in the picture, I would not put a first pairing future past Mitchell, although second pairing is more likely. - RW

Chicago Blackhawks center Dylan Sikura (95) (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Icon Sportswire)

6 Dylan Sikura, D (178^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 3) With great speed and incredible hockey vision, Sikura has turned into an absolute steal as a sixth round pick for the Blackhawks. A former OJHL star, he spent four years at Northeastern to ramp up his offensive game to the high level he sits at now. In his first full pro year, he posted a 45-17-18-35 stat line with AHL Rockford while adding eight assists in 33 NHL games. From the standpoint of raw skating, he was one of the best in the AHL and in this very deep farm system. His playmaking has long been his calling card, and he loves to make space for teammates with his speed only to pass it off. He is a smaller center, but does not shy away from doing the dirty work on both ends of the rink. His shot will never be a legitimate weapon, but he can hide his biggest flaw by playing a distributor role instead. He could be a top-six forward -- he routinely plays all three positions -- as soon as this season. - TD

7 Niklas Nordgren, RW (74^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 5) Nordgren was having a strong 2018-19 season until he was injured, which caused him to miss the World Juniors and limited his season to only 15 Liiga games. The 5-9" winger is not the fastest of skaters but has very good passing skills, offensive instincts and vision. He can execute an efficient and quick passing game both in the neutral and offensive zones. He is smart in possession and constantly plays with his head up while scanning his options. Nordgren has a quick and very accurate wrist shot, as well as a hard slap shot, both of which can beat goalies cleanly. He has a goal-scorer's touch around the net. A lack of explosiveness in his skating is concerning, but his top speed is quite good and still improving. He has middle-six upside as an offensive-minded winger. - MB

8 Michal Teply, LW (105^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Teply has been a key player for the Czech youth national teams at the international level. The Blackhawks' third round pick is a very smart winger with no shortage of skill, either. Even when having limited time and space, he can deliver quality passes and stay poised under pressure. He makes quick decisions with the puck and reads the game at a high level. He has good shooting technique and mechanics, making for an accurate, high-velocity wrist shot. He is an agile and fluid skater with good coordination. He can carry the puck into the zone with relative ease, but he would be even more dangerous with improved acceleration, especially from a standstill. Teply projects as a middle-six winger at the NHL level. He will play for WHL's Winnipeg Ice this season. - MB

9 Alex Vlasic, D (43^rd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) A Chicago-area native, Vlasic gains notice as soon as eyes are laid upon him, considering his towering 6-6” size. His skating needs to be cleaned up, but he gets to a decent top speed, especially considering his frame. Vlasic is still incredibly raw and learning what he can and cannot do against advanced competition, especially as it pertains to his ability to read the play. He has surprisingly good hands and is capable of executing highlight reel passes. His long reach helps him overcome some of his defensive zone foibles, but he flashes enough to suggest that he can grow into competence there. Coupling in the fear factor, as he is not afraid to run guys over, and we have here a blueliner with outsized potential once he decides on the type of player he should be. - RW

10 MacKenzie Entwistle, C/RW (69^th overall, 2017 [Arizona]. Last Year: Not ranked) Like a Swiss army knife, there are many facets to Entwistle’s game. He has size. He skates well. He is a very intelligent player away from the puck and is effective in all three zones. He asserts himself physically and is an excellent forechecker. He can play all three forward positions and slide up and down a lineup depending on need. He provides leadership and is coming off back to back Championships with two different OHL teams. While Entwistle does not possess elite offensive tools, he is the type of player that the coaching staff in Chicago will absolutely love. And, as already alluded to, he is the type of player you win Championships with. His projection is likely of a bottom six forward who can anchor a penalty kill and he should move quickly through Chicago’s system, even if the offensive production is only mediocre. - BO

11 Dominik Kubalik, LW (191^st overall, 2013 [Los Angeles]. Last Year: Not ranked [Los Angeles]) Kubalik put together a breakout season with Ambri-Potta on the Swiss NLA. He was one of the top players for the Czech national tea, throughout the season as well, earning a spot on the team for the World Championships, where he recorded 12 points in 10 games. A skilled a sizeable winger who can score goals, he has a strong shot selection which features a quick release wrist shot and an accurate one-timer. Scoring goals comes naturally to him, especially from the circles. He also has the vision and passing skills to create offensive opportunities for others in the final third. Kubalik is a decent skater. His quickness used to be somewhat of an issue, but he has shown improvements in agility and foot speed. He has versatility and physicality to boot, allowing him to be used up and down an NHL lineup. - MB

12 Nicolas Beaudin, D (27^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 6) While Beaudin’s offensive numbers were down a bit from the previous season, he still showed his amazing passing ability. He can hit any teammate anywhere on the ice, putting them in an optimal scoring position. He adds to his great passing with excellent hockey sense, and 56 points from the blueline is nothing to sneeze at. He can read plays as well as anyone in the QMJHL. What still holds him back is his size and his acceleration. He is an undersized blueliner who does not play physical. While his movement and agility is excellent, his speed is just okay. His acceleration is what hurts his skating the most, although his edgework is great. He can overcompensate on both ends of the puck for this, but he can also make great breakouts and succeed in the offensive zone. He is a very talented offensive defender who can quarterback a power play at the NHL level. - MS

13 Brandon Hagel, LW (159^th overall, 2016 [Buffalo]. Last Year: Not ranked [not affiliated]) Hagel is a previously drafted but unsigned player that had to recommit himself in his 20 year old season to get a shot at a pro career. He excels with the puck on his stick, has very good vision and was a top five scorer in the WHL last season. His shot isn’t blow you away quick but he picks corners incredibly well which makes him a dual threat as a shooter and a passer. He played both special teams units and he is an excellent agitator which enables him to draw a lot of penalties. He needs to improve on his discipline as he can run a little hot and take himself out of his game with foolish penalties. Hagel has a chance to be a very good third line player who can be matched up against anyone and can contribute offense from a depth role but will take a couple seasons in the AHL before he sees any NHL ice time. - VG

14 John Quenneville, C (30^th overall, 2014 [New Jersey]. Last Year: 4 [New Jersey]) It is no secret that Quenneville’s path to success has been somewhat delayed and a little rocky. Last season with Binghamton in the AHL was good but saw him also spend a fair bit of time in the penalty box. He has the hands and natural skill to no doubt be playing in the NHL but where he will end up exactly is up to him. He will need to push himself harder to stay focused and stay caught up with the pace of the NHL game if he wants to be anything higher than a third liner. At his best, Quenneville is a dynamic, aggressive power forward who is hard to stop but this next season is a make or break year and it will be up to him to see if he can secure a full time spot in the lineup with the Blackhawks, an organization that prides itself on its forward development. - SC

15 Evan Barratt, C (90^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 12) After struggling through an occasionally trying freshman campaign, Barratt hit a new level with Penn State last season. He is a strong skater with good playmaking instincts. He reads opposing defenses very well and has a knack for finding linemates in motion. While his offensive game is solid, he doesn’t seem to have enough skill to play in a top six, but thankfully he more than makes up for it with strong defensive zone work. He is a trusted penalty killer and generally has his stick in the right place to break up plays and regain possession. He is also a willing combatant, happy to get his nose dirty and generally not fun to play against. Heading back for his junior season, I expect Barratt to sign next spring and work his way to a third line role. - RW

16 Jakub Galvas, D (150^th overall, 2017. Last Year: Not ranked) The top scoring teenager in the Czech Extraliga last year, Galvas increased his offensive output by around 25% despite playing in two fewer games and once again having his season interrupted by the WJC. Despite lacking size, he is an all-situations defender, who uses his stick well in his own zone while also having a knack for filling in shooting and passing lanes with his body. He has very quick feet, which enable him to join or lead the rush and get back quickly if needed, which, on some occasions, is due to his own turnovers. The former fifth round pick is developing steadily and is readying himself for a big step up in competition as he will be playing in the Liiga for Jukurit this season. He still has much to iron out in his game, but between his skating and puck skills, he has a solid shot at a third pairing spot down the road. - RW

17 Alexis Gravel, G (162^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: 13) Gravel is a big goalie who plays an efficient game. He had a big year last year when he needed to; Halifax was reliant on his game to get them to the big stage, and he was needed at times for a deep Mooseheads playoff run into May. While he carries a lot of muscle at 218 pounds, he can move around the crease quickly and puts himself in good position to make the second and third save when needed. In fact, he makes some tough saves look routine with his great puck tracking and anticipation. Gravel might have gained too much weight too quickly and sapped some quickness a year ago but showed this year that the added weight was not an issue. He has starter potential as he gets quicker and continues to progress. - MS

18 Philipp Kurashev, LW/C (120^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 16) Kurashev is a well-rounded and refined offensive player. For the second year in a row, he scored over one point-per-game, and also for the second year in a row, he impressed at the WJC, with seven points in seven games for Team Switzerland last holiday season while being the centerpiece of his team. In Quebec, he also had to deal with the extra attention of being the top center on his team, and thrived with a defensively-responsible offensive game as a player who can play a ton of minutes. Kurashev wrapped up his season with three games in the AHL with Rockford and finally four points over eight games with Switzerland at the world championships playing against men. He needs to improve his skating speed a bit, but he has the makings of a top-nine contributor at the NHL level. - MS

19 Lucas Carlsson, D (110^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 8) A highly aggressive and entertaining defenseman, Carlsson had a very solid 2018-19 campaign, his first in the North American pro ranks. He paced all of Rockford’s defensemen in most offensive categories on their top defensive pair. His speed and shot are average at best, but his fierce and enthusiastic drive in all three zones is what makes him an intriguing prospect. His stretch passes are tight and quick, but he is capable of weaving through the neutral zone with the hands and edgework that make him a fine two-way blueliner. He loves to join the rush as a trailer and let off a wrister, although his shot is average at best. Defensively, he is never hesitant to pressure an opposing forward with a hit against the boards or a sweep check at the line. He is still a while away from being an NHLer, and his play-tracking on defense will have to improve until then, but I would not be surprised to see him on the Blackhawks’ third pair in the near future. - TD

20 Andrei Altybarmakyan, RW (70^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 20) A gifted player and a fast skater, Altybarmakyan has already accumulated significative pro experience in the last few seasons and is now a full-time KHL player after moving to HC Sochi from SKA. The move panned out well for him as he found more time on ice and a former NHL superstar on the bench in Sergei Zubov. A dangerous player when the ice opens up, Altybarmakyan needs to improve his defensive game, his consistency, and his intensity before trying to move overseas. In the NHL it is hard to rely on talent alone, and at this point, he is nothing more than a project player. However, he has intriguing offensive potential and next year will be key to understanding what his real ceiling is. - ASR

Buffalo Sabres Prospect System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 20:28:59 +0000

The road has been dark and long for the Sabres. They have not seen a postseason game in seven seasons, and have only two first round losses since making the Eastern Conference finals in 2007.

Sure, the Carolina Hurricanes have gone longer without experiencing the playoffs, but the team in Raleigh was at least semi-decent. The Sabres have been awful.

Focusing on the seven year dry run, they were a near miss in the first year and then bottomed out quickly. In the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, they finished 12^th in the Eastern Conference. In the five seasons since, they finished seventh in the Atlantic Division once, and eighth the other four times.

What has all this losing brought to Buffalo? While Edmonton had the drop on the lottery, the Sabres were generally relegated to sloppy seconds, or worse. Looking only at their first picks, Buffalo drafted blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen eighth overall in 2013, forward Sam Reinhart was the second pick in 2014, recent face of the franchise Jack Eichel was the second pick after Connor McDavid in 2015 and back-to-back eighth overall picks in 2016 and 2017 yielded Alexander Nylander and Casey Mittelstadt.

Finally, their years of decrepitude won Buffalo the first overall pick this year, with one of the best defensemen to hit a draft class in ages heading up the draft. The Sabres did not hesitate to draft another Rasmus, with Dahlin joining Ristolainen on the Buffalo blueline of the present and future.

There were some pretty talented players named in the previous two paragraphs. Player who, surrounded by the right supporting cast, could feasibly be the core of a playoff team. Unfortunately for the locals, former GM Tim Murray was unable to round out the roster. Eichel is a star and Reinhart has finally shown signs of being a legitimate top six winger, if not quite yet living up to expectations.

As it so often is, the problem with Buffalo was that they failed to draft well after their first pick.

From the 2013 draft class, Ristolainen has been a workhorse, but overextended in a shut down role. They drafted 10 other players in that draft. Nikita Zadorov was taken later in the first round and was traded to Colorado after his rookie season in the Ryan O’Reilly deal. Second rounder J.T. Compher also was moved out in that deal. Of the other eight selected, they received a total of 100 NHL games played, mostly by up and down forwards Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste.

In 2014, Buffalo drafted eight others after Reinhart. Only second rounder Brendan Lemieux has played in the NHL and that was with Winnipeg, as he was moved as part of the Tyler Myers trade.

The Sabres only had six total picks in 2015. Other than Eichel, second rounder Brendan Guhle has appeared in 21 games already and is in line for much more. Fourth rounder Will Borgen could join him as a third pairing defender within a few years.

The above-mentioned Alex Nylander is the only class of 2017 player to reach the show, but he has struggled thus far in his professional career. The Sabres have already neglected to sign three of their final four picks and have traded away their third pick as part of the exchange for Jeff Skinner. If not Nylander, Rasmus Asplund and Casey Fitzgerald are the only potential impact players from that class.

It is far too early to judge Buffalo’s 2017 or 2018 draft classes, but with Mittlestadt and Dahlin ready for immediate insertion into the NHL lineup, Buffalo is finally seeing some light at the end of their long road.

Rasmus Dahlin

1 Rasmus Dahlin, D (1^st overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) There was never any real question but that Rasmus Dahlin would be the first player selected in the 2018 NHL Draft. Both his skating and his puck skills grade out at the elite level. His overall game is incredibly mature and he famously represented Sweden at the WJC (while also playing as a regular in the SHL) as a 16 year old. He has average size for the NHL even considering that he has not yet fully accessed his man strength. Many have compared his game to previous top end Swedish defenders in the NHL, from Nicklas Lidstrom to Victor Hedman, but his game is most reminiscent to that that of Drew Doughty. Dahlin is the rare blueliner that can take over a shift in all zones, shutting things down in his own end and controlling the possession in the offensive end. He has been ready for the NHL for at least 12 months, and is maybe 12 months away from being an All Star.

2 Casey Mittelstadt, C/LW (8^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 1^st) If all you saw of Mittelstadt was his performance for Team USA in the most recent WJC (in Buffalo), you would think that you were looking at a future super star. His late season cameo with Buffalo did not disabuse that notion. But in the past two seasons, first split between Green Bay of the USHL and Eden Prairie HS, and the latter with the University of Minnesota, his production was good, but never great. At his best, he is breathtaking. He is so patient with the puck, defenders look hypnotized. At his worst, he tries to force plays. Perhaps playing with NHL caliber players more often will allow him to feel that he is not the only one who can produce, while the presence of Jack Eichel will ensure that he is not the focal point of the offense. Either way, he is ready to show what he can do in the NHL.

3 Alexander Nylander, LW (8^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 2^nd) Two years into his professional career, and Alex Nylander’s lack of offensive output is jarring. He still dominates against his age peers, with a third productive WJC, but he barely surpassed the point every other game rate and has all too often been a non-factor for Rochester. When seen at his best, he still looks like a future star, with his shot, puck skills and hockey IQ all grading out as high end facets in his game. He also skates well, although his feet are not dynamic. Sources have confirmed that he played through injuries last year, and he did perk up somewhat in the second half, but time has come for Nylander to step up. He still has to earn a full time NHL job.

Mattias Samuelsson

4 Mattias Samuelsson, D (32^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) When you are as big as Mattias Samuelsson, it is OK to note that a player skates well for his size. Were he three inches shorter, or 20 pounds lighter, we would note that he has to overcome his relative lack of mobility, but at 6-4”, 218 and likely still growing, we can watch him play and nod in appreciation of his mobility for his size. Regardless of his size, we can appreciate his destructive presence in back. Overpowering in the USHL, he was masterful at shutting down opposition attacks and was a pure bull in the corners. His offensive tools are not as impressive, but his point shot can generate rebounds, and he can orchestrate a few zone entries. As long as he doesn’t get so bulky that his skating suffers, he could be a true shut-down defender at the highest level.

5 Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 8^th) Only average as a skater and he will never be known as a high end finisher, but Marcus Davidsson’s playmaking ability will always make him a desirable prospect. He more than doubled his point totals in his second season in the SHL and played a complimentary role for Sweden in the WJC. He plays a mature game, capable of fitting into various special teams’ roles and versatile enough to play either center or on the wing. Although his top speed is nothing special, he does show impressive agility on the ice. He is signed for one more season with Djurgarden, after which we expect the Sabres to try to bring him over.

6 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 5^th) The Sabres may not have a goalie of the present, but Luukkonen is doing what he can to be the goalie of the future. The first European goalie selected in the CHL Import Draft since the moratorium on overseas goalies was lifted, he will spend next season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, another team trying to end a lengthy rebuild. He has above average athleticism, advanced technical ability and high end ability to read the play. Unfortunately, the results have not always been there. For example, in his first taste of men’s hockey in Finland, his save percentage was fourth out of the four netminders who played for LeKi. He also struggled in the WJC, playing a bit out of control. He has time, but he is another that needs to turn ability into production.

7 Victor Olofsson, RW (181^st overall, 2014. Last Year: 18^th) The 2014 seventh rounder was almost an afterthought in the Buffalo system before he exploded in his fourth season in the SHL, his second with Frolunda. By exploded, we of course mean that he led the SHL in both goals and power play goals. Previously viewed with a ceiling as a tweener the uptick in his finishing ability gives the Sabres that he may be a bit more. You want to see better skating ability in a player of his size, but to his credit, he battles hard for loose pucks and has above average puck skills in addition to his propensity for putting the puck in the net. We will all know a lot more after he completes his first season with Rochester.

8 Brendan Guhle, D (51^st overall, 2015. Last Year: 3^rd) A fantastic skater whose offensive game has grown year over year, Guhle now finds himself on the doorstep of breaking through full time into the NHL. His ascent up the ranks has been fairly crisp, as he acclimated to the AHL immediately, and earned his 18 game NHL trial. He is not a terribly physical defender, but has filled out his previously lanky frame nicely, and is very aggressive with is stick when defending. He has enough of a point shot to be usable on the power play and defends well enough to not be sheltered and even contribute on the PK. With Dahlin expected to feature right away, the Sabres may hesitate to roll with two rookies on their blueline, but there is no reason why Guhle shouldn’t entrench himself on the third time in short order, and slowly work his way up the depth chart.

Rasmus Asplund

9 Rasmus Asplund, C (33^rd overall, 2016. Last Year: 4^th) In four seasons spent largely with Farjestad of the SHL, Asplund’s point totals have steadily increased from three, to 12, to 19, and finally, to 28. Small, but very quick, he brings above average puck skills and mature hockey sense to the ice. While the improvement too his output is certainly impressive, he has not taken off to the extent that his original high end projections would have suggested as a possibility. He could still find a home on an NHL third line, but top six is looking less likely. He is also one of several Buffalo prospects who should be receiving their AHL debuts this year, giving us a better understanding of their future projections.

10 Lawrence Pilut, D (UDFA: May 15, 2018. Last Year: IE) Fleet of foot and silky smooth with his hands, Lawrence Pilut, the most recent winner of the Salming Trophy, given to the defenseman of the year in the SHL, signed an entry level deal with the Sabres in May. He is on the smaller side and last season’s offensive outburst was an anomaly as far as his historical record is concerned, more than tripling his previous career high in points in a season. On the other hand, he turned 22 during the season, and the fact that he did not produce much in the SHL from ages 18-21 is not that crazy. The fact that he chose Buffalo is a sign that the Sabres can find ways to acquire true talent outside of the draft.

11 Danny O’Regan, C (Trade: Feb. 26, 2018 [San Jose]. Last Year: 3^rd [San Jose]) A top scorer over four years with Boston University, O’Regan had a hard time breaking into the San Jose roster, a team that has skewed largely towards veteran players, since he has turned pro. As a way out of that log-jam, he was traded to Buffalo last season at the trade deadline as part of the return for front line scoring winger Evander Kane. He is undersized and can play a bit too much on the perimeter, but O’Regan has a fine collection of tools that suggests that the top end scoring he displayed from day one in the AHL can translate to the NHL to an extent as well. Nothing dynamic, per se, but his offensive instincts can play.

12 Will Borgen, D (92^nd overall, 2015. Last Year: 7^th) After three seasons as a steady defensive defenseman for St. Cloud State, Borgen is turning pro. Not dynamic in any way, Borgen is simply steady. He skates well. He is very reliable off the puck. While not especially offensively inclined, he has a solid sense for when to make his presence felt in the offensive zone, whether that is engaging deep to unbalance the defense, or walking the line to get a clear sight of goal. He also has a burgeoning physical game, and will occasionally line up an opponent for a big open ice hit. All of the above aside, when he is at his best, you barely notice that he played.

13 Nicholas Baptiste, RW (69^th overall, 2013. Last Year: 10^th) A strong skater who came two games short of losing prospect eligibility last year, Baptiste plays a solid two way game that gives him a small leg up on the player ranked immediately below. He has good size and while not shy, does not typically go out of his way to physically engage with opponents. Despite his recent record of scoring more than he sets up others, his shot is only so-so, but his puck skills can be fairly fancy. Given a consistent opportunity in the NHL, he can emerge as a solid bottom six energy winger who can pick up some depth minutes on special teams as well.

14 Justin Bailey, RW (52^nd overall, 2013. Last Year: 12^th) Were it not for an unfortunately timed lower body injury, Bailey would probably have played in the eight additional NHL games that he needed to graduate from prospectdom. One might say that he is build like a football player, and it would be appropriate as his father Carlton was a longtime member of the Buffalo Bills. The younger Bailey is a strong skater, who plays a physical brand of hockey. Add in a good shot and he starts to look a lot like a bottom six power forward. He still has to get the new Buffalo regime to believe in him as an asset going forward and he was not able to engender that belief last year.

Brandon Hickey

15 Brandon Hickey, D (Trade: Jun. 14, 2018 [Arizona]. Last Year: 7^th [Arizona]) In a league where most teams hesitate mightily to trade their prospects, Hickey is the rare one that has been traded twice before even signing his ELC. Drafted by Calgary in 2014, he was shipped to Arizona as part of the return for Mike Smith. With all signs pointing to Hickey not signing with the Coyotes after completing four years at BU, he was dealt to Buffalo for Hudson Fasching. A calm and composed blueliner, he is stronger in his own zone than he is when his team has the puck. In the offensive zone, he is more of a supporting character,

16 Casey Fitzgerald, D (86^th overall, 2016. Last Year: not ranked) The other Casey in the Buffalo pipeline, Fitzgerald, whose brother Ryan is in the Boston system, is an energetic, yet undersized, offensive defenseman who is entering his senior season with Boston University with a “C” on his chest. A good puck mover who shows the type of hockey IQ one expects from a player whose father played over 1,000 NHL games, he plays a game that seems suited for the modern NHL. Presuming that Buffalo can sign him to a contract after his final collegiate season, his right hand shot could help him get a leg up on similarly skilled second/third pairing types in the system.

17 Matej Pekar, C/RW (94^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Matej Pekar left his native Czech Republic as a 15 year-old, spending two years playing in U16 hockey in Michigan before making a splash with Muskegon in his draft year. He is very quick, with some creativity to his game. He also plays a responsible defensive game, providing tight man coverage in his own zone and picking up regular shorthanded minutes for the Lumberjacks. He has soft hands and demonstrates plus vision when looking to pass. He is heading to play for Miami University where the Sabres will want to see physical maturity and less of a propensity to cheat out of the zone. He has a good chance to leap up this ranking in the coming years.

18 C.J. Smith, LW (UDFA: Mar. 30, 2017. Last Year: not ranked) By the time Smith got the UMass-Lowell, he had been passed over at the draft twice, first as a member of the Austin Bruins of the NAHL and second with the Chicago Steel in the USHL. The Iowa native came into his own with the River Hawks, honing his wrist shot and puck skills into above average tools, and working on his edges to help hi overcome his middling top speed. In his first year in the AHL, he proved that his game could translate to the pros, but the fact that he lacks any truly dynamic skills leaves some doubt about how well he could perform given an NHL opportunity.

19 Andrew Oglevie, C (UDFA: Apr. 11, 2018. Last Year: IE) In a down season for undrafted NCAA free agents, Oglevie was one of the best forwards to sign an NHL deal. The undersized California native is a good skater who thinks the game quickly and can finish, but prefers to create for his teammates, which he seems like a natural when doing. He knows how to find space in the offensive zone and is responsible in his own end. If he can convert his fast paced game to the AHL, Oglevie should find a way to gain NHL experience. Like Smith above, he lacks the dynamic qualities to be an impact player, but does enough well that he should be able to find a role at some point.

20 Eric Cornel, C/RW (44^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 20^th) When Cornel was first drafted as a mid-second rounder, the thought that he would rank 20^th on the Sabres’ prospect list four years later would have been a grave disappointment. Today, Cornel taking the bottom spot on this list is more of an indictment on the Sabres and their struggles drafting in the later rounds, which is highlighted above. He is a good skater, and can flash a good wrist shot, especially when he times his release right, but on the whole, his game is hesitant and he has shown little to no growth in two years at Rochester. Without taking a big step forward this year, producing in line with his skills, he might find a contract hard to come by.

2018 WJC in Review: Sweden

Jimmy Hamrin — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 13:23:01 +0000

The 2018 WJC provided promising steps for the Swedish development program. First, for an impressive eleventh WJC in a row, they won all four preliminary games. Most importantly, in the playoffs they beat a North American team (USA) in North America in an elimination game (the semifinal), which has been sort of unheard of for Sweden at this stage for many years. When Sweden won gold in Calgary 2012 they did not face North American opposition on their journey to the gold. This time, Sweden met the other North American team, Canada, in the final and lost to a game winning goal scored with 100 seconds left of an evenly fought game that could have ended up either way.

Why has Sweden been having such trouble beating North American opposition, especially in North America? Well, the obvious reason is that Sweden is a smaller hockey country and in age group tournaments that always makes a huge difference. That is not the whole answer though since Sweden for so long has dominated in the preliminary round. I saw two areas of Sweden’s game that were improved from earlier years.

Sweden were stronger on the puck as they picked a team with many hard working speedy players who were taken over skilled/big not-super-speedy players. Sweden got strong efforts from their third and fourth lines on that part and scored two shorthanded goals in the semifinal and another one in the final. They seemed to more often have the upper hand on winning loose pucks and controlling the tempo of the game with high pressure of the opposition diminishing their space. Sweden’s number one PK-unit did not have a single player standing six feet tall but still neutralized the best power play in the tournament (Canada) six times out of six in the final. The speed in the Swedish depth made them harder to beat, even without their top players on the ice.

The biggest shown improvement for Sweden was the development in goal scoring. Sweden’s forwards scored on some amazing shots and at the same level as the North American teams. Swedes usually develop their shots later and with a mindset that a shot is more selfish than a pass which one could argue to be a reason why Sweden only has had one 50 goal scorer in NHL history (Hakan Loob 87/88). That is starting to change and the shots on all the goals in the semifinal against USA were “selfish” hard, accurate and beautiful shots.

From an individual standpoint Sweden got great goaltending from Filip Gustavsson (PIT). He was named the top goalie of the tournament, just as he was in the WU18 two years ago. He played well in every game and stepped up in the big games. He showed impressive focus and composure. If he can show more consistent goaltending at the senior level soon, he will not be far from stepping over to North America and begin to battle for the spot behind Matt Murray in Pittsburgh.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JANUARY 5: Canada against Sweden during the gold medal game of the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Andrea Cardin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

The consensus top pick for the upcoming draft, Rasmus Dahlin, impressed. He was named the tournament’s top defenseman and for my money, was the Swedish MVP. His defensive game was strong all tournament. He played competitively with poise and looked like a Victor Hedman-type with elite forward puck skill. When Dahlin was on the ice, Sweden most often had the puck. He did nice work at the point on the power play and was strong on the PK as well. The slight knock I have on Dahlin as of now is that he should score more on the opportunities he creates for himself. In the long run that will probably will not be an issue.

Another as yet undrafted defenseman that had a good tournament was Jesper Sellgren. He is a third time eligible draft prospect. He is an undersized defenseman with speed, responsible decision making and a good puck handling. He was on the first PK-unit and played tremendously, especially in the playoff games. He is fast to the boards as well as to loose pucks and he almost always clears the puck or even start offensive plays with on the PK.

First round draft picks, Erik Brannstrom (VGK) and Timothy Liljegren (TOR), both had good tournaments. Both have high end quality but were set aside from the first power play-unit in favor of Dahlin. Brannstrom played with Dahlin at even strength and helped him as much he was helped by Dahlin. Brannstrom showed skill, speed and balance. Even if he was attacked he maintained good balance and got the puck up the ice. Brannstrom played with Sellgren on that great first PK-unit with success. Liljegren played great with the puck with a great shot and strong passing plays. Liljegren also provided some nice open ice hits. Both young blueliners have the potential to play in the NHL next season.

Sweden’s power play did not produce as well in the playoffs as it did in the preliminary games. Highly touted Elias Pettersson (VAN) and Alexander Nylander (BUF) had some problems finding innovative solutions when the opponents read their standard plays. Both players like to play the right circle and the coaches chose Pettersson for that spot. In my opinion they should have moved their feet more and switched positions to make their play harder to read. Both players showed great skill though, especially Pettersson with some great shots as he scored five goals in the tournament. He also opened the score against USA with a beautiful shot. At even strength, Pettersson showed slick plays and drew more than a handful of penalties getting his team into power play opportunities. In the final, both Pettersson and Nylander could not really play their game as Sweden had too many penalties the second half of the game and limited the ice time for the offensive stars.

The most talked about player for Sweden after the tournament probably has been the captain Lias Andersson (NYR) for throwing away his silver medal. In the tournament he showed great tenacity playing with a shoulder injury and battling hard for the team. He produced points and showed good leadership. He reminds me a bit of Jonathan Toews in the way he plays.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JANUARY 4: Sweden's Axel Fjallby Jonsson #22 and Isac Lundestrom #20 have words during semifinal round action against the U.S. at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Draft eligible center Isac Lundestrom grew during the tournament. A smart player that plays well all over the ice and in all three zones, he is a great puck protector and has good vison. At the start of the tournament I thought he played to much on the outside of the opponents but as the tournament went he got more and more involved the offensive zone. He looks solid as a mid/late first round pick.

In my preview I put Axel Jonsson Fjallby (WSH) as the surprise player and he did not disappoint. Fjallby used his tremendous skill and physicality to create scoring chances giving Sweden good secondary scoring. He worked hard on the forecheck, on the backcheck and on the PK.

All in all, a good tournament for Swedish hockey getting them back on the podium after three straight fourth place finishes. If we look at how they played they probably think they should have won that final, too. Sweden were the slightly better team in the first half of the game and that late loss will probably sting for the players for some time. In the long run I believe that this Swedish team will be remembered as one of the most talented they have put together at this stage with Rasmus Dahlin as the headline player. Although Dahlin is eligible for two more tournaments, this probably was his last as he is bound for the NHL next season.

WJC 2018 – Team Preview – Sweden

Jimmy Hamrin — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 19:48:28 +0000

The Swedish team this year is young, but talented. Outside from Switzerland, Sweden has the youngest roster heading into the tournament. The preliminary roster has ten underaged players with seven 99-born players and three millennials. Many of the underaged players are key players to the team as well, especially on defense.

It seems to be the same story every year nowadays with the Swedish roster, that the deepest talent pool, position wise, are the defensemen. This year is no different, with a lot of high end talent from the backend. More and more in modern hockey a power play uses four forwards and only one defenseman. This Swedish team will buck that trend with players like Rasmus Dahlin, Timothy Liljegren and Erik Brännström each having enough talent and skill to play on the first power play unit that one could almost start to consider playing three defensemen on the power play rather than four forwards.

The power play is going to be an especially big key for Sweden’s success this year. The potential is huge with the offensive core of the defensemen as well as with shooter/playmaker Elias Pettersson on the team. Pettersson is leading the SHL in scoring heading into the tournament by putting up numbers (35 points, 17 on the power play, in 26 games) that are practically unheard of for a junior in SHL and have not been seen for decades.

Sweden is always a contender at the WJC but rarely wins the gold and now has three 4^th place finishes in a row. The challenge for Sweden this year is to get these big offensive players scoring at the same level on the smaller ice during big games that their talent level suggests they can. If they get good goaltending and the power play dominates, they will once again be one of the biggest contenders for the gold.

Ten to Watch

GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA - APRIL 15: Sweden's Elias Pettersson #21 skates with the puck while LatviaÕs Vlads Vulkanovs #13 defends during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Lias Andersson, C
He had an emotional start to this season. First of all, he played with the Rangers for almost the entire preseason and got back to Sweden late, after the season had already started. In Sweden he has been playing on a new team, the same team where his father is a legend and where his jersey number was retired this past October. With all that going on, Andersson’s game struggled early. He did not put up a point in seven of his first eight games in the SHL. After that, he has picked up pace and has 12 points in 14 games and is playing his strong driving game. He will be a big leader for this Swedish team. He plays aggressively and with skill. He never shies from taking action and trying to make things happen. His puck skills are good and brings to mind a bit of Jonathan Toews in style. Not super skilled but owning a good shot, good puck control, good vision, strong physical play, great drive and leadership on the ice. He will be playing on a top line for this tournament.

Jesper Boqvist, C/LW
Boqvist has just returned from a wrist fracture suffered in the preseason so it is hard to say where he stands as a player for this tournament. That said, he has already put up two points in four SHL games. Boqvist is a player who brings speed and skill to the table. He is always in motion and has great vision. He is hard to contain as he skates and controls the puck well in every direction, north to south, east to west. Sometimes he gets a bit too creative, but he has his head up and does not do anything without a plan. He developed greatly throughout last season and he was strong over the second half earning a spot on an SHL team that made it all the way to a game seven championship game. For this tournament he will probably be used on a scoring line and is one of the players that Sweden needs to be producing if they are to be successful.

Erik Brannstrom (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Erik Brännström, D
A tremendous puck mover with high end skills and strong skating abilities. In the 2017 U18 WJC Brännström was probably Sweden’s best offensive player with strong puck possession stats as well as shot metrics. Last season he came up as a breath of fresh air to the best team in the SHL but was sent down when the playoffs started. This season he has been a regular on the team but has seen his ice time diminish a bit lately. He is still in a learning process and his play at senior level is progressing at a normal pace for a top talent. Brännström will contribute to this Swedish team with puck possession as he is strong at retrieving pucks in his own end and at starting attacks. He is not big in size but is strong with his lower body balance and can hold off big checking forward with control of the puck. On the power play he has a dangerous and accurate wrist shot and moves smoothly across the blueline. Although being one year younger at this tournament he is one of Sweden’s most skilled players for this tournament and he will most likely see a lot of power play minutes.

MONTREAL, CANADA - JANUARY 5: Sweden's Rasmus Dahlin #8 skates during bronze medal game action against Russia at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Rasmus Dahlin, D
Sweden’s best defenseman for this tournament is a U18 player who is coming back for his second U20 WJC. He has already also played for the national men’s team and has a good shot of making the Swedish Olympic team later this season. Next summer he will most likely get picked first overall in the NHL entry draft. Dahlin has already been one of the most exciting players to watch in the SHL and is incredibly dynamic in his skillset. He is big in size, he plays physical, has great hockey sense both offensively and defensively and he has the puck skills of an elite forward talent. Dahlin’s agility on his skates and strong puck control and creativity makes him probably the most exciting player for this whole tournament. He still makes mistakes and those mistakes often have more visible impact than mistakes made by a forward. All in all, he brings puck possession, offensive skills that are hard to contain and defensive stability to this Swedish team. There will be a lot of media attention on his game and off the ice for this tournament and it will be a challenge for him to focus and to deliver what everyone expects of this 17-year-old.

Marcus Davidsson, C/LW
Quick player, both with his feet and in his mind. Davidsson is a smart two-way player that can be used in many different roles. He could be used as a role changing forward on a top line and produce as expected or as the fourth line center and produce in that role on this Swedish team. Not an elite offensive talent but he has had a good start to this season and is taking steps forward in his development. With somewhat limited icetime (12 min/g) he has produced nine points through 23 games. He is playing on a strong young line in the SHL that plays with a lot of speed. Although Davidsson may not be clocked as the fastest player, his smarts hep to keep the pace up for his linemates playing the puck at the right time and with quick decision making. Defensively he takes good responsibility and detects danger and reads the play well. He will be an important balance player for Sweden in whatever roles he takes.

Lukas Elvenes, C/RW
A skilled playmaker that has had a strong first senior season. Elvenes was sent down to play in Allsvenskan but was recalled after putting up a point per game performance during the first 22 games. He is a quick thinker and creative with quick hands. He is reads play well in the offensive end and has always been a strong point producer. He has gotten faster and on his skates this season. He has always been able to skate fast over short distances with his quick feet, but the long stride technique had been a flaw in his game. This season he can contain his speed a little better and in Allsvenskan his skills in the offensive zone have shown as very strong, although he should use his quick shot more often. His development surely has surprised the Swedish coach as well, since he had not been picked for any of the earlier tournaments used to help pick the WJC roster. For Sweden in this tournament, Elvenes will be a good option for a power play and a top nine role.

Filip Gustavsson, G
Gustavsson was named best goalie in 2016 U18 WJC and was a big part of the Swedish team that won a silver medal and defeated Canada in the semifinal. He is big in size and reads the game great. He plays with calm and consistency. For this tournament though, there are some concerns. He is the expected number one goalie for the team but has not had a particularly strong season so far. He has been struggling in the SHL and is the backup on his team for the second season in a row. He has not had strong numbers with the national junior team of late either. To get games and to get on a better role for this tournament he has been sent down to the junior league at times where he has played great. Gustavsson received WJC experience as a backup playing one game last year and has the potential to be a top goalie in this tournament. He has shown that he can step up in big games before and if he does so again he can be a medal winning difference for Sweden.

Timothy Liljegren

Timothy Liljegren, D
Picked as the 17^th player in last year’s draft, Liljegren felt like a steal by the Maple Leafs. He had dropped from being a potential top two pick after not having had a good draft season. The effects of mononucleosis effected his play that whole season. Many scouts saw the raw potential but had concerns with his decision making as the percentage of mistakes in his game were too high. After a summer of training, he showed up at the U20 showcase and was probably the best player on the Swedish team, with few signs of lacking hockey sense. He has been playing in the AHL this season and has put up good numbers. Liljegren is a strong and skilled offensive defenseman with elite high-end talent. He will help Sweden on the power play with heavy and accurate shooting. In even-strength he will contribute with good puck possession. He takes control of the game and starts the attacks for his team. He is exciting to watch and has the potential to be one of the best defensemen in the tournament.

Isac Lundeström, C/LW
A late 99 born prospect that is playing center full time in the SHL in one of the top three lines and looks like a potential first round draft pick for next season. He is a smart player that takes responsibility and has good puck skills. His puck control and playmaking abilities are strong. He can travel with the puck and set up his teammates well. He has a good shot and should shoot the puck more often as there are some concerns of him being a perimeter player seeking passes too much. He has strong skating abilities with exceptionally good balance and that helps him cover the puck and to hit his opponents Forsberg-style when he has the puck. I would like to see him play center (on the top nine) on this team as his assets can be put to better use in the middle. He is the type of player that needs to have the puck a lot to be involved in the games. When he plays on the wing, he sometimes ca disappear during games. He is both creative and effective with the puck and rarely makes mistakes.

Alexander Nylander, RW/LW
With already 21 points across two WJCs, Nylander is a great addition for Sweden and for the tournament as a whole. The skilled forward will once again be a top line player and an important piece on the power play. He is an offensive dynamo with a dangerous wrist shot, good vision and puck skills. He has great puck control when he skates with the puck and can zig-zag through the defense. His game is all about skill and offense and he is exciting to watch. In junior hockey he has been dominant throughout his entire career but has not yet translated that game to senior hockey. In the AHL his numbers are not as good as his level of talent suggests he should produce. That said, his shot to break into the NHL is still very good. He has had a rough start to this season with an injury keeping him of out of the game for the start of the season. Playing in the Sabres organization it will be an important tournament for him playing in their hometown, which will also add some extra pressure on his performance.

Elias Pettersson, C/RW
Wow! What a season Pettersson is having in the SHL! 41 points in Allsvenskan last season upgraded him to SHL were he is now leading the scoring race with 35 points through only 26 games. He had a tough WJC point wise last year and did not seem to get his game going in the North American rinks. There also were some question marks about his strength for the draft. He is still skinny but growing. He has gotten stronger and consistently smarter but most of all he has developed his shot. When on the power play, he stands in the right circle much like Kucherov does for Tampa. He fires one-time slap shots and dangerous wrist shots combined with smart cross-ice passes setting someone else up for a scoring chance. All in all, he is mesmerizing to watch with his elite puck skills and elite hockey sense. He should be considered as one of the favorites to become the top scorer in this tournament and he has the potential to become the best player of his draft class. He is also being discussed as a potential Olympic player for Sweden this season.

Surprise player

Axel Jonsson Fjällby, LW
Speed, speed and speed. Jonsson Fjällby is a fun player to watch and one that you cannot miss in a game. He is a tremendous checking player with great speed, aggressiveness and drive. His skills are a bit limited, but he has a good wrist shot and has scored eight points in the SHL already this season. He is most dangerous in the transition game and almost no player can keep up with him chasing a loose puck over a long distance. He works hard and will be an important piece on this Swedish team with the ability to contribute secondary scoring making Sweden harder to play against.

Training Camp Notes/Updates – September 27th, 2017

Ryan Dadoun — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 21:03:59 +0000

Anaheim

Patrick Eaves – He hasn’t been skating due to a lower-body injury and hasn’t played in a preseason game yet. The hope is to get him into a practice and then an exhibition contest, but at this point it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Corey Perry/Ryan Getzlaf – It looks like they might enter the season paired together, possibly with Eaves if he’s healthy.

Rickard Rakell – I mentioned in the last notes that Antoine Vermette might end up centering Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg in Kesler’s absence. However, that role might go to Rakell instead so that’s a situation to monitor.

Arizona

Louis Domingue – Suffered an upper-body injury on Monday and was consequently yanked, though the Coyotes said it was for “precautionary reasons.” I don’t think they’ve updated his status since then, but of course if that injury ends up being more serious then Arizona might need to open the season with a different backup goaltender (Marek Langhamer maybe? I don’t know if Hunter Miska’s an option straight out of the NCAA).

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Sustained a knee injury and is day-to-day as a result. He needed to be helped off the ice at the time, but fortunately it looks like it’s not too serious. He’s questionable for the opener though.

Boston

Charlie McAvoy – As mentioned last time, Torey Krug will miss the start of the preseason with a jaw injury. It looks like McAvoy will see increased power-play responsibilities as a result. Krug could miss as little as three regular season games, but it’s also possible that he’ll miss significantly more (what we know is that he’ll be out a minimum of three weeks from Sept. 20).

Buffalo

Jake McCabe – McCabe is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, but Sabres coach Phil Housley is still optimistic that of his chances of being available for the opener so we’ll see.

Alexander Nylander – I mentioned last time that he hadn’t skated due to a lower-body injury sustained on Sept. 8. He’s apparently starting to feel better, but he’s already missed a big chunk of training camp.

Calgary

Michael Stone – He might end up on the third pairing as T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic seem to be the likely second unit while Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton will probably be the first pairing. Stone’s offensive contributions this season could be rather limited.

Chicago

Patrick Sharp – Not sure if this is worth mentioning because of the uncertainty attached to it, but Sharp did practice on a line with Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane on Sunday. However, he’s also been experimented on as part of the third line with Artem Anisimov and Ryan Hartman so it’s still unclear if Sharp will get the opportunity to start the campaign in a top-six role.

Columbus

Nick Foligno – He served as a center on Sunday while Oliver Bjorkstrand and Pierre-Luc Dubois were his wingers. Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said he wanted to keep looking at Foligno as a center, but this could just be one of those training camp experiments that go nowhere as far as the regular season is concerned.

Alexander Wennberg – Not that it comes as a big surprise, but it’s looking like he might open the season on a line with Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson. That’s a line that would have a lot of potential fantasy value.

Dallas

Martin Hanzal – He’s been dealing with an ankle injury, but he got into his first practice of training camp on Saturday and is likely to appear in the Stars’ last preseason game, so it looks like he’ll be fine for the start of the regular season.

Detroit

Tyler Bertuzzi – Is out three-to-four weeks (as of Sept. 23) because of wrist inflammation. He was a candidate to make the squad out of training camp, but now he might end up starting in the AHL once he’s healthy.

Martin Frk – Between Bertuzzi getting hurt and Andreas Athanasiou being unsigned, Frk might end up making the squad. Might not be fantasy relevant information, though he did have 50 points in 65 AHL games last season.

Edmonton

Kailer Yamamoto – Has five goals and six points in four preseason games. He’s making a stronger case for a roster spot than anticipated, but his small size and the fact that the Oilers aren’t exactly hurting for skilled forwards right now could still result in him being returned to the WHL. The odds of him at least getting a nine-game trail have gone up though. Also, for what it’s worth, he did practice with Connor McDavid and Patrick Maroon on Tuesday, though I’d sooner bet on Ryan Strome getting the third spot on that top line.

Los Angeles

Marian Gaborik – He’s making progress in his rehab from a knee injury and has practiced with the Kings, but he’s not fully cleared yet. I’m not sure if he’s going to end up playing in the opener or not.

Minnesota

Tyler Ennis – For what it’s worth, Ennis is aiming to get back to scoring 20 goals a season, provided he can stay healthy. In addition to his injury history though, the other road block is that he’s likely to start the season in a bottom-six role.

Montreal

Jonathan Drouin – Didn’t play on Monday due to an upper-body injury. He’s day-to-day, so perhaps he’ll be fine by the time the season starts.

New Jersey

Nico Hischier – I mentioned last time that he’s been a training camp standout and that’s continued with him netting a goal and an assist on Monday, giving him four points in three preseason games. As always training camp stats are an unreliable metric, but he’s certainly helping to drive up the intrigue that surrounds a first overall pick.

NY Rangers

Filip Chytil – Rangers coach Alain Vigneault has been impressed by Chytil to the point where there’s a real shot of him making the team. It might just be for a nine-game trial, but it’d still be impressive for an 18-year-old, 21st overall pick.

Lias Andersson – Similar to Chytil, Andersson has caught Vigneault’s attention and is in the running to make the squad at the age of 18. That said, he didn’t play in Tuesday’s preseason game because of a sore foot from a shot he blocked on Monday.

Ottawa

Erik Karlsson – Resumed skating on Saturday, but he was rested for a little while after that. The plan was to have him skate again today (Wednesday). There’s still a chance that he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season, but obviously time is running out in that regard.

Philadelphia

Claude Giroux – I mentioned last time that Claude Giroux was being tested out in practice as a left winger. On Monday the Flyers pushed that experiment to the next level by having him play in a preseason game as a winger alongside Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers stuck with that line for Tuesday’s contest as well. If Giroux does start the campaign as a left winger then Couturier would be the big benefactor as he’ll be moving from a potential third- to first-line role.

Pittsburgh

Kris Letang – Got into Sunday’s preseason game, which was his first contest since Feb. 21. Letang was happy with how it went, but the main thing is that he’s got that behind him.

San Jose

Joel Ward – He hasn’t gotten into a preseason game yet after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. He’s been practicing though and the Sharks do have three exhibition contests left, so he still has time to test his shoulder before the regular season starts.

St. Louis

Robby Fabbri – Will miss the entire 2017-18 season, the St. Louis Blues announced after re-injuring his surgically repaired knee. A huge blow to banged up Blues.

Tampa Bay

Brayden Point – The Lightning have been experimenting with a top line of Point, Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov. Point seems to be the one most likely to benefit from that arrangement if that trio is still together once the regular season starts.

Vancouver

Brock Boeser – He’s been tested on the top line with the Sedin twins and that could end up being his role at the start of the season. For what it’s worth, Boeser has four goals and six points in three preseason games.

Vegas

James Neal – He’s been making progress in his recovery from a hand injury and that included participating in Tuesday’s practice. It’s still not clear if he’ll be ready for the season opener though.

Vadim Shipachyov – He might end up headlining the top line that could also feature Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. Not sure if Neal being healthy would change that any.

Washington

Evgeny Kuznetsov – Given that Marcus Johansson is no longer with the Capitals, it’s looking like Kuznetsov will enter the season on their top power-play unit.

McKeen’s 17-18 Yearbook Updates

Ryan Dadoun — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 21:20:54 +0000

It is early in the pre-season, but Ryan Dadoun brings a round up of the news so far. Nothing earth shattering, but lots to keep an eye on. McKeen's will do an update end of day Monday based on injuries, camp performance, etc.

In the meantime here is what you need to know.

Anaheim

Hampus Lindholm – Shoulder injury will probably keep him out until early November. That’s not surprising given the initial projections from when he had surgery in May, but it’s his absence is more probable now than it was over the summer.

Ryan Kesler – The hope is to have him back by Christmas after he underwent hip surgery in June. Over the summer it looked like he might be back in November, so the recent news here has been discouraging.

Antoine Vermette – Might end up being the one to fill the void left by Kesler. He’s been practicing on a line with Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg. If we’re talking about standard fantasy leagues though, Vermette’s value is still borderline at best.

Arizona

Jason Demers – The Coyotes acquired him from the Florida Panthers. Arizona views him as a top-four defenseman, but it’s not clear who his defensive partner will be. He got a decent, but not great, amount of power-play time in Florida last season while Keith Yandle/Aaron Ekblad served as the team’s primary defensive options with the man advantage and he’ll probably end up in a similar situation in Arizona behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson/Alex Goligoski when it comes to power-play ice time.

Boston

Torey Krug – He suffered a non-displaced jaw fracture on Tuesday and was projected to miss at least three weeks from that date. That will cost him most of training camp and at least three regular season games.

Buffalo

Alexander Nylander – He suffered a lower-body injury on Sept. 8 and hasn’t skated at all in training camp as a result. Good news is that the Sabres think he’ll resume skating in near future, so maybe he’ll still return with enough time to spare to make his case for a roster spot.

Carolina

Lee Stempniak – More of a side note for now, but he’s been dealing with an undisclosed problem that might be more serious than initially believed. He has soreness in his hip/back and had an MRI on Thursday, so we’ll see what the results of that are.

Detroit

Andreas Athanasiou – Still hasn’t signed. There’s the threat of him heading to the KHL and even if he does re-sign in the not too distant future, he’ll be a young player that’s missed a good chunk of training camp/preseason play.

Edmonton

Ryan Strome – It’s a bit of a stretch to mention at this stage, but the Oilers seem to be going with a top line of Maroon, McDavid, and Strome so far. As a fun aside, McDavid also thinks Strome is a good sleeper pick in fantasy leagues. (https://www.nhl.com/news/edmonton-oilers-connor-mcdavid-sees-ryan-strome-as-fantasy-sleeper/c-290885390?tid=277729150)

Drake Caggiula – Similarly, it might be too early to read into it, but so far Drake Caggiula is being tested on the second line with Draisaitl and Lucic.

Los Angeles

Marian Gaborik – Is taking some contact as he recovers from a knee injury. Still unclear if he’ll play in the preseason, but it’s progress.

Nashville

Ryan Ellis – This happened a couple weeks before training camp, so you probably already have it in your projections, but just in case he’s out for four-to-six months with a knee injury. That has led to them mixing up their defensive pairings though. Ekholm and Subban were split up so that Ekholm is now with Josi (although Ekholm-Weber has also been experimented with) and Subban is with newcomer Emelin.

New Jersey

MONTREAL, QC - SEPTEMBER 21: New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) waits for play to begin during the third period of the NHL preseason game between the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens on September 21, 2017, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Nico Hischier – Another stretch, but for what it’s worth Nico Hischier has stood out in preseason games so far, upping what were already good odds of him making the team. Hynes suggested that Hischier has forced talks of him having a bigger role than previously projected. Hischier-Hall is an interesting combo, though of course it’s another preseason pairing so who knows.

NY Islanders

Alan Quine – Quine sustained an upper-body injury in mid-September that was projected to cost him four-to-six weeks. So he’s missing training camp and a couple weeks of the regular season in all likelihood.

Ottawa

Colin White – Suffered a broken left wrist on Monday and is projected to miss six-to-eight weeks. He had been seen as being in a good position to make the team, especially due to Derick Brassard being a question mark. Although…

Derick Brassard – His recovery from shoulder surgery is ahead of schedule, per what Guy Boucher said today. He still might not be ready for the start of the regular season.

Clarke MacArthur – Unfortunately even after his strong playoff showing, he ended up failing his physical. Sucks to say, but it may be that his playing career is over.

Erik Karlsson – As of Thursday he still wasn’t skating due to his foot injury. He’s unlikely to be ready for the start of the season and who knows if he’ll be begin the curve once he finally is given the green light to play.

Philadelphia

Travis Sanheim – It’s still tentative, but he’s off to a good start and seems to have improved his chances of making the team. Had 10 goals and 37 points in the AHL last season.

Sean Couturier – The Flyers are toying with using Claude Giroux as a left winger. Couturier could be the beneficiary if that happens as he could move up in the depth charts as a result, possibly even on a line with Giroux and Jakub Voracek (which they did test out in practice, but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually use it in games).

St. Louis

Zach Sanford – Suffered a dislocated left shoulder that will keep him sidelined for the next five-to-six months.

Jay Bouwmeester – Has a fractured left ankle that will be re-evaluated in three weeks. Along with Sanford, these ones are fringe just because they didn’t have much in the way of fantasy value even when healthy.

Alexander Steen – Suffered a hand injury in the Blues’ first preseason game on Tuesday that will cost him at least three weeks (at which point he’ll be re-evaluated). Certainly he’s the most noteworthy of the three fantasy wise.

Toronto

Patrick Marleau – It’s looking like Patrick Marleau won’t play alongside Matthews in even strength as Babcock’s preference appears to be a trio of Zach Hyman, Matthews, and William Nylander. Marleau and Matthews should share the ice in power play situations though.

Joffrey Lupul – Team’s says he failed his physical, but now it looks like the league wants to look into it after Lupul’s claim of cheating followed by his retraction(deletion)/apology. Probably doesn’t matter fantasy-wise either way. Even if Lupul is deemed fit to play he’ll probably end up in the AHL at most.

Vegas

James Neal – Has a broken hand that was projected to sideline him for two-to-four weeks. He’s one week into that timetable at this point so perhaps he’ll be okay for the season opener. Still sucks to miss training camp on a brand new team though.

Washington

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: Washington Capitals left wing Jakub Vrana (13) makes a pass during an NHL game on March 16, 2017, at the Verizon Center, in Washington, D.C. between the Washington Capitals and the Nashville Predators. Nashville won 2-1 in overtime.
(Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire)

Jakub Vrana – More grain of salt stuff, but the Capitals have been giving him top-six opportunities. He played alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in Wednesday’s preseason game and tonight it looks like he’ll be with Backstrom and Oshie (Kuznetsov/Ovechkin aren’t playing).

Winnipeg

Tyler Myers – Feels 100% after only playing in 11 games last season.

Buffalo – System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 20:44:40 +0000

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, the Buffalo Sabres continue to miss the playoffs and continue to come up short in the lottery. Despite fielding some of the worst teams in recent NHL history, the Sabres could pick no higher than second overall. In 2014, that cost them the chance to draft Aaron Ekblad, so they passed over Leon Draisaitl to select Sam Reinhart instead. More famously, after an out-and-out tank job in 2015, they lost the lottery to the Oilers, who drafted Connor McDavid and instead accepted the consolation prize of Jack Eichel.

Not that there is anything wrong with either Reinhart or Eichel, or really with any of their recent first round picks that were not traded to Colorado for Ryan O’Reilly, but there is always the feeling that they should have walked away with more. If one were being cruel, one would compare that feeling to the Sabres disappointing history in the playoffs.

The fact is that the Sabres, as much as they have underwhelmed on the ice over the entirety of the Tim Murray era, that management team actually did a strong job at rebuilding the wreck of a franchise that was left once Darcy Regier was let go. Of course, there are still further steps that need to be taken before the club will find itself back in the postseason, but new GM Jason Botterill takes over a franchise that no longer needs to tear things down. In addition to Reinhart and Eichel, the vast majority of the roster is under 30 years old and many of their most important players are still on the upswing of their respective careers.

The forward group is the most intriguing, a fact that only gets more credence when we consider the players not yet guaranteed a roster spot as their first round picks in each of the past four seasons were all forwards. Unfortunately for the Sabres, it takes more than just forwards to win in the NHL. Teams also need to be able to prevent the opposition from scoring. While smart forwards can go a long way to ensuring that objective is met, good defensive teams must also be strong at the back.

Starting between the pipes, the Sabres have struggled in net since Ryan Miller’s heyday. Robin Lehner has been decent since he was acquired in a controversial trade with Ottawa, but he has yet to prove himself to be a goalie that can carry a team on his back. Buffalo had reasonable hope that 2013 5th rounder Calvin Petersen might be a shining star, but he opted for free agency after leaving college. Future hopes will now be placed on 2017 second round pick Ukka Pekka Luukkonen.

The defensive corps has been even more neglected, as can be seen below, with only two of the top ten listed as blueliners. There is hope that Victor Antipin, a young free agent signing out of Russia, can step right into the rotation, but one of Botterill’s main early goals will be to nail down a number one for now and the future. The sooner that happens, the sooner we can all stop talking about what might have been had the lottery balls fallen just a little bit differently.

Casey Mittelstadt

1 Casey Mittelstadt – One of the most offensively talented players available in this year’s draft, many were surprised that Mittelstadt was still available when it was Buffalo’s turn to pick at #8. He is a magical puck handler with serious possession abilities and good vision. Although there are some murmurs about his agility, he is a strong skater. He will need 1-2 years with the Minnesota Golden Gophers to better hone his team play, but once he does, he should be a first line scoring winger.

Buffalo Sabres Right Wing Alexander Nylander (70) (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire).

2 Alexander Nylander – Ignore his point totals as one of the few teenagers playing regularly in the AHL, and marvel that he was able to play there at all, finishing behind only Jesse Puljujarvi in league scoring among the U19 set. Focus on his 12 points in seven games at the WJC. See his impressive puck moving ability and his strong skating stride. He still needs to add bulk to his frame and tighten up his game away from the puck, but it may be time to let him play in the NHL.

3 Brendan Guhle – Last season, when the Sabres needed a blueliner in a pinch, instead of making the call for someone in Rochester, performed a rare emergency recall, bringing Guhle up from the WHL. He held his own in a brief trial by fire in the NHL before finishing up his WHL career. Tall, with good reach and great skating, he is a very effective defender when he plays with aggression. His offensive game is somewhat limited. He can carry the puck well and begin the transition, but will not be a big point producer.

4 Rasmus Asplund – A teammate of Nylander’s in Sweden’s last two WJC squads, Asplund does not have Nylander’s dynamic offensive abilities, but has nothing to be ashamed about what he does have. A strong skater with silky puck skills and an advanced hockey IQ, he finished tied for second among teenagers in SHL scoring. Although he will be playing in Sweden for another year, once the center does come over, he profiles as a top six playmaking center.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Tournament. Photo by Karel Svec

5 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – The current front-runner for the title of Sabres’ goaltender of the future, Luukkonen is blessed with ideal size for a netminder as well as plus athleticism. He is very active and competitive in the crease, often coming out to challenge shooters, but also able to recover and get back thanks to very quick legs. A solid puckhandler for a goalie he has been among the hardest goalies in Finnish junior hockey to score against in the last two years. He is now ready for the challenge of Liiga.

6 Hudson Fasching – Looking only at his rookie pro season, you might think that Fasching should not be ranked this highly on a solid list such as this. He struggled in close to half a season with a groin injury at Rochester and did nothing of note in a 10 game trial with Buffalo. Going back to his time in NCAA, he impressed greatly as a scoring winger who would grind through shifts, playing a heavy, physical game with smart puck play and patience. If he recovers more of that, he should not be long for the AHL.

7 Will Borgen – Selected with the Sabres next pick in the 2015 draft after drafting Guhle, Borgen also has a similar skillset to Guhle’s, if we could trade some of the higher-raked player’s footspeed with a great emphasis on the physical game. A very smart player who puck skills basically end with a solid first pass in or near his own zone, he plays a much stronger game than his lanky-looking frame would suggest. Heading back to St. Cloud State for a junior season, he needs to work at limiting penalty minutes.

8 Marcus Davidsson – Although his offensive numbers as a teenager with Djurgardens of the SHL do not impress, Davidsson has a lot of qualities to his game that suggest that better things are on the way. From a scouting perspective, his skating, shooting and puck play all project as above average, but his hockey sense – his best attribute – should make the whole equal to something greater than the sum of its parts. Expect a lot more in his second SHL season.

9 Cliff Pu – Another plus skater in the Buffalo system, Pu took on more of an offensive role in his first post draft season with the London Knights and excelled at it. He is a fine passing winger with solid offensive vision. He projects as more of a middle six than top six winger as a pro, as a down postseason recalled questions about his ultimate offensive upside. Thankfully, he is also notable for his 200 foot game, puck seeking instincts and willingness to pressure the puck carrier.

10 Nicholas Baptiste – We are definitely not finished with speedy Sabres’ prospects. Baptiste had a strong showing in his second go-round the AHL, earning a 14 game trial in Buffalo for his efforts, which led to a near 50% increase in scoring. He also has an impressive goal scorer’s touch, along with solid puck skills. Definitely more a shooter than a playmaker, he should be given a chance to win a bottom six winger job in the NHL this season.

11 Viktor Antipin – A five year KHL veteran who has consistently put up strong offensive numbers from the blueline, Antipin was signed as a free agent to a one year entry level contract with the carrot of an NHL job dangled in front of him. Not a flashy player, he produces through effective two-way play, showing a good passing game and an above average point shot. He may need to be sheltered in the NHL at first until he proves that his small stature will not be a hindrance.

12 Justin Bailey – The former second round pick, whose father was also a sports (football) star in Buffalo, Justin Bailey showed considerable gains in his second pro season, and spent a good chunk of the year in the NHL, falling only three games short of losing his prospect status. A strong skater for his size, he has been usable in all situations in the AHL, combining a tricky wrist shot with developing hockey sense. With a touch more aggressiveness, he could have a long NHL career as a power forward.

13 Jonas Johansson – One of the primary candidates for goalie of the future before this season, Johansson once again failed to make any headway at getting an SHL job and once again spent the season on loan with Almtuna of Allsvenskan. Once again, he stopped exactly 91.3% of shots faced, giving him once again a shiny GAA. This time, Johansson signed an ELC with Buffalo at year’s end and will likely play next year with Rochester. He does everything well enough, but has no standout tools.

14 Devante Stephens – Linked with Guhle and Borgen as defensive products of the 2015 Sabres’ draft class, Stephens also has a game which bears passing resemblance to the aforementioned duo. His best traits are skating and physicality. The former is characterized by impressive acceleration and the latter is represented by his lanky frame which he throws around with purpose. Although his offensive numbers last year were very impressive, we should not expect that to continue in the pros.

15 Oskari Laaksonen - A surprise third round pick this year, the largely unheralded junior league Finnish defender is more notable for his plus hockey sense and puck moving abilities than for flashy play. Rail thin, he can run a power play, but struggles in coverage as he is too easily outmuscled. His puck skills project to average or above, but he is still in the early stages of his development and very raw.

16 Brandon Hagel – The eighth of ten players selected by Buffalo in the 2016 daft, Hagel has done more to improve his stock in the organization than anyone after the top three, if not altogether. Previously seen as a meat-and-potatoes WHL grinder, he showed more in the way of puck skills and a grinding style that leads to prolonged possession. He also might have more upside offensively than previously believed, although bottom six is still his likely destination at the next level.

17 Sean Malone – After muddling through three uninspiring seasons at Harvard, Malone finished with a bang, setting career highs in goals (18), and assists (24) for a Frozen Four entrant, while showing off a skillset that will keep him drawing paychecks for his work on the ice for a few years yet. A good north-south skater and play-driver, who sometimes shows more wiggle to his game than is expected. The Buffalo-area native had a single game cameo for the Sabres after his collegiate career ended.

18 Victor Olofsson – A one-way offensive winger whose development seems to have stalled in his third SHL season, Olofsson nevertheless has enough offensive promise to deserve a mention near here, particularly after a strong SHL playoffs and European Champions League with Frolunda. His shot – dangerous from just outside the slot - and puck skills are both reasons for promise. On the down side, if he cannot make it as a top six player, few North American teams would use him in the bottom six.

19 Evan Rodrigues – Signed as a collegiate free agent after a fantastic senior season playing with Jack Eichel at Boston University, Rodrigues spent close to half of last season with the Sabres, falling five games shy of losing prospect eligibility. A good skater with strong puck skills, his impressive hockey IQ and ability to play a 200 foot game may help him overcome his size deficiencies and earn continued bottom six opportunities. A limited prospect, but useful nonetheless.

20 Eric Cornel – A former second round pick who had a solid, if ultimately unfulfilling OHL career, Cornel struggled mightily in his rookie AHL season with Rochester with only 14 points in 67 games. It is too soon to state that he has lost the skill set including both very promising shots and puck skills that made him a top OHL pick as a youth, but he needs to bring his skills out more consistently to remain on the radar.

With the type of players currently in the system, the Sabres seem geared to bring excitement back to Buffalo. With nearly every player on the top 20 earning accolades for their skating prowess, they could wield a fun run-and-gun team over the next few years. Of course, as discussed earlier, they still have significant work to be done on the back end. Even run-and-gun teams need puck carrying blueliners to begin the transition and get the puck moving in the right direction.